Optimarin grabs pole position in race for USCG approval

Ballast water treatment (BWT) specialist, Optimarin, has become the first UV system supplier to meet the most stringent USCG marine water requirements. This positions the Norwegian company for full USCG approval in 2016. In a series of land-based tests, both the standard MPN (regrowth) method and the more exacting FDA/CMFDA benchmark were successfully assessed.

Optimarin’s system utilises environmentally friendly UV irradiation and back-flushing filters to wipe out invasive organisms that stow away in ballast. Systems employing UV lamps have so far proven their ability to meet the MPN standard, rendering organisms unable to reproduce, but, until now, none has achieved the instant kill capability demanded by USCG.

“This is a great endorsement of our system’s effectiveness and the expertise of our team,” commented Optimarin CEO, Tore Andersen. “We’ve been developing our system since founding the company in 1994 and we believe, and testing shows, we have a market leading solution for vessels in our segment. USCG approval is crucial, so we’re happy to be so far down the line in achieving it. Without a USCG approved system ships won’t be able to discharge ballast water in US waters. For shipowners with global fleets and route networks, not having such a system would impact massively on their operational footprint and overall fleet flexibility. It really is a must.”

Optimarin’s system was tested by DNV GL at the NIVA test facility in Norway, with further tests of remaining water salinities scheduled for spring 2016, after which point approval is anticipated later in the year. The company is investing some US$3 million in the comprehensive approval programme.

Commenting on Optimarin’s Andersen noted: “Our UV lamp technology is the key. Each of our lamps has a 35 kw capacity. This, quite literally, kills any potentially harmful invasive organisms straightaway. Other systems may neutralise them in a way where they die eventually, but ours does it before they are deposited back into the water. USCG is pushing for these stringent demands, challenging the industry to meet requirements and safeguard the environment.”

Andersen added that this technical efficacy provides “complete peace of mind” for shipowners forced to comply with both USCG regulations and the upcoming ratification of the IMO’s Ballast Water Management Convention.

“It’s a situation that can be both demanding and confusing,” Andersen noted, “so we’re happy to be a supplier that can cut through that and say ‘this is what you need, this is what we do, you can rely on us for complete compliance’.”

Optimarin, which installed the first ever BWT system on board Princess Cruises’ Regal Princess in 2000, supplies systems to shipowners including Saga Shipholding, MOL, Grieg Shipping Group, Gulf Offshore, Farstad Shipping, NYK, Nor Lines and Evergreen Marine Corp, amongst others. The firm is a leader in both the newbuild and retrofit segments, with over 60 systems currently retrofitted onto a wide variety of offshore and deepsea vessels.

Optimarin’s type approved Optimarin Ballast System (OBS) is certified by a comprehensive range of classification organisations, including DNV GL, Lloyd’s, Bureau Veritas, MLIT Japan, and American Bureau of Shipping.

Edited from press release by Angharad Lock

Read the article online at: https://www.oilfieldtechnology.com/hse/16112015/optimarin-meets-uscg-marine-water-requirements-1621/