A proposed relaxation of the timescale for the entry into force of the International Maritime Organization’s Ballast Water Management Convention 2004 should have been welcomed by the industry, but not all interested parties see it that way.
At the most recent meeting of the IMO’s Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC65) held earlier this year, the committee approved a draft resolution on the application of regulation B-3 of the BWM Convention to ease and facilitate the smooth implementation of the Convention.
This resolution will now be submitted to the 28th session of the IMO Assembly (due to be held from 25 November to 4 December 2013). The draft resolution recommends that ships constructed before the entry into force of the Convention will not be required to comply with regulation D-2 until their first renewal survey following the date of entry into force of the Convention. According to IMO, the aim of the draft resolution is to clarify uncertainty in relation to the application of regulation B-3, through the application of a realistic timeline for enforcement of regulation D-1 (ballast water exchange standard) and regulation D-2 (ballast water performance standard), upon entry into force of the Convention.
In making this decision, MEPC considered reports from the 24th and 25th meetings of the Joint Group of Experts on the Scientific Aspects of Marine Environment Protection (GESAMP) Ballast Water Working Group (held during 2012-2013). It granted Basic Approval to three, and Final Approval to three more, BWM systems that make use of active substances. The MEPC also approved BWM-related guidance, including ballast water sampling and analysis for trial use and a BWM Circular on clarification of "major conversion" as defined in regulation A-1.5 of the BWM Convention. The MEPC also adopted a revised MEPC resolution regarding information reporting on type-approved ballast water management systems.
The effect of the decision is that IMO has effectively postponed the date from which shipowners must be able to prove that their vessels have a system in place for treating ballast water. Although shipowner sin general are happy with this, most equipment suppliers are less than impressed. Shipowner organisations feel that the change, which effectively means that compliance with the convention is postponed until after a ship’s next drydocking after the convention enters into force, rather than ships having to comply after a fixed date, will relieve a potential log jam. Some, such as the Danish Shipowners Association, believes that the transitional approach is correct. The DSA’s Peter Olsen is reported as saying: “The risk of not establishing a transitional scheme was that the entire convention could fall apart.” He believes there is an expectation that countries that cover the last 5% or so of the world's tonnage, which are still missing in order to achieve a final ratification of the proposal, will sign up (see panel).
Germanischer Lloyd held a meeting after MEPC to try to sum up the situation. “The delay in its adoption meant that the schedule for compliance on ballast water management (BWM) had to be adjusted,” explained Ralf Plump, from GL's Department of Safety and Environmental Research. “It was agreed at MEPC 65 that the time line for compliance with the D2-Standard (ballast water treatment) of the BWC should be shifted so that all ships constructed before the entry into force date would have to comply with the D2-Standard at the first renewal survey of the International Oil Pollution Prevention certificate.”
The insurer, the UK P&I Club, issued a comprehensive legal briefing document for its members, in which it said that: “There is strong support for the Ballast Water Management Convention, given the damage caused to the environment by invasive alien species, depletion of fish stocks and the high cost of controlling these effects. However, ballast water management systems must avoid harming ship, crew, environment and public health----and gain formal approval, in the UK from classification societies.
“The cost of compliance to shipowners will be very high. A ballast water treatment system can cost from half a million to four million dollars. There will be ancillary costs, including developing a ballast water management plan, dry docking and installation.”
The Club pointed out that there are two standards of compliance. The ballast water exchange standard (BWE) does not require the ship to install a treatment system but will be phased out by 2019. The ballast water performance standard (BWP) does require such a system. Moreover, states can impose their own. more stringent, regulations. “BWM systems complying with the Convention standards may still fall foul of more stringent standards set in the USA and other countries. Shipowners who trade to these jurisdictions must, therefore, install systems that meet these more stringent standards,” says the Club.
Ballast water management plans must be tailored to each ship, and all operations recorded in a Ballast Water Record Book. As well as establishing the plan and procedures, shipowners will have to budget for additional energy supplies to operate the system, staff training, and extra surveys.
Jacqueline Tan, Senior Claims Executive at Thomas Miller, which manages the UK P&I Club, appreciates owners’ concerns. “The high economic costs to ship owners, introduced by the Convention, coupled with a lack of confidence that the proposed equipment and procedures can effectively tackle the adverse effects, probably explains why the rush to ratify the Convention has slowed down. While MEPC 651 and the revised implementation schedule have given owners breathing space, it would still be prudent for them to get to grips with the Convention’s requirements.”
Testing and development of BWM systems is key to gaining shipowner confidence, particularly after some of the BWM systems which obtained early approvals have been withdrawn from the market, having failed to operate under ‘real’ conditions despite meeting the Type Approval specifications.
One of the pioneers in BWM system, Alfa Laval, is developing a new test and training centre in Aalborg, Denmark, which the company says will expand its marine testing capabilities, serve as a springboard for faster and more effective R&D, and help ship owners comply with environmental legislation, including the BWM convention. While the centre’s official inauguration is not scheduled until January 2014, some full-scale prototype testing is already underway.
“For the first time, it will be possible to test equipment and applications on the scale of a seagoing vessel – but with the control and convenience that only exist on land,” says Peter Leifland, President of Alfa Laval’s Marine & Diesel Division.
The new facility, being built on the site of the former Aalborg Shipyard, is centred around a 2MW marine diesel engine, and will be supplied with seawater from the Limfjord. The centre is intended to replicate, on land, a commercial vessel’s machinery room.
As on an actual vessel, equipment types will be organised into major process lines, including the ballast line, which encompasses filters and an advanced oxidation technology reactor. The equipment is to be overseen by a unified control system, directed from a dedicated room at the facility, and with remote access to allow other Alfa Laval sites to observe testing at the centre.
The company says that as laws and economic concerns increase the demand for energy efficiency and environmental protection, ship owners and ship operators require new and reliable solutions at a faster pace than ever before.
“Opening this centre shows Alfa Laval’s commitment to innovation speed,” says vice-president Lars Skytte Jørgensen. “By making it easier to test and verify new designs, it will help us to bring energy-efficient, environmentally conscious and commercially viable systems to market more quickly. But it will also allow us to explore enhancements with existing equipment, so that changing needs can be met with what already exists on board.”
“Testing at sea and against the unexpected will continue to be a part of Alfa Laval’s product development,” said Mr Jørgensen. “But the new centre will give us the best of both worlds. When the conditions are both real and controlled, we can be absolutely certain of what we measure and observe.”
The less conservative and more environmentally conscious owners are not waiting for final ratification of the Convention. This seems particularly true in the offshore industry. GEA Mechanical Equipment UK has recently supplied a BallastMaster ultraV system to a jack-up vessel servicing off shore wind power installations. The company says that this is a clear sign that owners see the need for early compliance with IMO ballast water regulations.
The company adds that: “General cargo ships, off shore vessels service ships, passenger and cruise ships, Navy ships or specialist vessels such as jack-up barges, off shore oil platforms, survey and salvage vessels all fall within the scope of the IMO legislation due to become law in 2016 and all are suitable for BallastMaster ultraV retrofit or new build installation.” GEA claims that its BallastMaster ultraV is easy to use, and with high performance rates and low maintenance costs its offers a future-proof investment and worry free solution.
The BallastMaster ultraV is a two-stage system that combines mechanical pre-filtration with subsequent disinfecting of the ballast water by UV-C radiation, without additional chemicals and no hazardous by-products. With a small footprint and simple installation it can be retrofitted in a range of vessel types, and is designed for low maintenance, minimum downtime and reduced through life cost.
Korean manufacturer Techcross says that the US Coast Guard has accepted 15 models of its ECS range of BWM systems as AMS (alternate management system) as from October 2013. It joins several other systems given AMS approval, which was devised by USCG to protect US waters before full USCG Type Approval comes in, a development that is happening independently from the IMO BWM Convention.
Techcross says that its AMS certification applies to all ECS models, including the explosion-proof version, making it one of only three explosion-proof systems possessing AMS, which the company says will be good news for tanker ship owners operating to and from US waters.
Additionally, the Techcross ECS was recently granted the Korea Environmental Award, which it says is given to an individual or organisation which has shown a commitment to protecting the environment.
Another BWM system success has been notched up by Greek company Erma First, whose BWTS was successful in the Applied Research and Innovation category of the 2013 Greece Innovates competition. The company says it won through in competition with over 240 other nominees.
“We are extremely pleased to see that the large investments in our research and development are paying off” said Erma First chief chemical and process engineer Konstantinos Stampedakis.
Norway’s OceanSaver has recently announced that its Mark II ballast water treatment system has achieved USCG approval, while at the same time the company itself achieved ISO 9001:2008 certification from Lloyd’s Register. These build on the system’s existing IMO acceptance and DNV Type Approval, and go some way towards justifying the company’s claims that it now offers “the ultimate in BWT compliance”. OceanSaver systems are targeted at medium and large vessels, such as VLCCs, LNG carriers, tankers and bulk carriers.
CEO Houtan Houshangi says that the modular Mark II system, with its small footprint and easy to maintain nature, is attractive to both newbuild and retrofitting segments. Oceansaver says that it has been developing its systems since 2003, and up to now has signed contracts for 82 medium to large-sized vessel BWM systems.
Another Norwegian BMW company, Optimarin, was reported to have achieved a “breakthough framework agreement” which could result in it becoming the system of choice for over 700 ships in a major shipmanager’s operated fleet, but confirmation of this was yet to be received as this issue went to press.
US-based Hyde Marine, a subsidiary of Calgon Carbon Corporation, recently signed a partnership agreement with UK shiprepair yard Cammell Laird, for installation of the Hyde Guardian system. This follows Cammell Laird ‘s experience of installation of five systems on Royal Fleet Auxiliary ships, the latest of which was retrofit in June 2013 of a HG1000X onboard the RFA's Fast Fleet Tanker Wave Ruler at Cammell Laird's Birkenhead yard.
According to John Platz, president, Hyde Marine, the partnership agreement means that the Cammell Laird is ready to install Hyde Guardian systems on a variety of vessel types. "We are pleased to partner with Cammell Laird because of its commitment to innovation in the maritime industry, and because it is a cutting edge engineering specialty company, focused on meeting the needs of customers, such as the Royal Fleet Auxiliary," he said. "We are excited about the opportunity to work with Cammell Laird to continue the ongoing growth of the Hyde Guardian Ballast Water Treatment System across the United Kingdom."
The system is another which combines filtration and ultraviolet disinfection. The company says it was one of the first, in April 2013, to earn AMS approval from USCG. The Hyde Guardian was IMO type approved in 2009 and has type approvals from several class societies. It was tested and validated at the Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ), said to be one of the world’s most challenging ballast water test facilities, and became the first systemaccepted into the USCG shipboard technology evaluation program (STEP), which facilitates development of technologies for owners seeking alternatives to ballast water exchange.
"We are looking forward to continuing our partnership with Hyde Marine," said Rob McBurney, commercial director of Cammell Laird. "Hyde Marine's commitment to providing superior service and support will drive continued success for Cammell Laird clients as the industry works to comply with pending ballast water treatment requirements."
Danish company Daniamant, formerly known as Uni-Safe, recently released its latest salinometer products, one of which, the SL8040, is intended for use with BWM systems to monitor the salinity in ballast tanks. The company says it is fitted with a new five-wire auto-referenced electrode with built in temperature-compensation, and the unit is type approved by DNV.