Damen Green Solutions is proud to announce that the InvaSave technology has completed shipboard testing ‘on board’ the Henrike Schepers. Untreated ballast water was taken in and the technology was proven after the discharge.
The successful test has established that the company is capable of providing an IMO type approved backup in a port in the event of a failure in a vessel’s onboard treatment systems to uptake or discharge ballast water. Further, it can also serve as a port-based alternative for those shipowners that may not want to retrofit an onboard treatment system or be deployed in a port with a sudden outbreak of marine pests.
Other countries to follow
Damen Green Solutions Product Manager Matthijs Schuiten said that a number of countries are ratifying the IMO’s Ballast Water Management Convention (BWMC).
“I could enter into force in 2017. Damen is cooperating with the service providers in the ports to provide this ballast water treatment service. This is also relevant for all port authorities, who could face congestion problems if they don’t have a contingency/emergency service in place.”
It is worth noting that Groningen Seaports is the first port to provide this ballast water treatment service. Groningen Seaports Sustainability Coordinator Bart van der Kolk said that their location on the Wadden Sea means that they have a responsibility to push forward the progress of sustainable shipping. They are fully prepared for the ratification of the IMO Ballast Water Management Convention. This project would not have been possible without the effort of some frontrunners like Royal Wagenborg, Van Gansewinkel, Imares, MEA-nl and Damen.
Test aftermath
Following the successful test, this new solution may appeal to other ports as well as ship owners, operating close to sensitive locations – for example, the World Heritage Sites and Particularly Sensitive Sea Areas.
Test results
- The results of the InvaSave test meet the D2-Standard of the IMO Ballast Water Management Convention on all aspects.
- This includes the test series conducted with the high sediment waters of the River Hull and the River Thames, UK.
- An overall and important principle is that the system is robust, and works under all relevant circumstances, regardless of the composition of the ballast water. Test protocols are in line with IMO BWMC test guidelines and additional requirements of the Dutch flag state.
- All testing was conducted by MEA-nl.
Damen can deliver the InvaSave technology in a self-sufficient mobile container, which can be put onboard a service barge or moved around the port on a trailer or a pontoon. The system uses innovative filtering and UV technology and does not contain chemicals or hazardous substances.
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Source: Damen
