Offshore staff
HELSINKI, Finland – A new semisubmersible accommodation and construction vessel being built for Floatel International AB will feature two Wärtsilä AQUARIUS UV ballast water management systems (BWMSs) and other Wärtsilä equipment.
TheFloatel Triumph is under construction at Keppel FELS. It is scheduled to be delivered in 4Q 2015. The complete Wärtsilä scope of supply includes, in addition to the two AQUARIUS BWMS units, a series of Wärtsilä engine room pumps, and a pre-engineered integrated auxiliary equipment module.
The AQUARIUS UV BWMS is a modular system using a two-stage approach involving filtration and medium-pressure UV disinfection. The Wärtsilä AQUARIUS UV ballast water management system meets the International Maritime Organization’s D2 discharge standard, and received type approval in December 2012.
Ratification of the IMO's Ballast Water Management Convention, which will require the owners of up to 40,000 vessels worldwide to install a BWMS, is anticipated within the next 12 months. The US Coast Guard (USCG), however, has implemented its own legislation saying all ships will have to be in compliance with the regulations when sailing in US coastal waters. Enforcement of the US requirement began in December 2013, when ships were required to comply with the 2013 Vessel General Permit (VGP) regulating discharges. As a consequence, ship owners have to evaluate, as a matter of some urgency, the ballast water treatment technology best suited to both their existing and new ships.
The intention of the legislation is to address the issue of invasive aquatic species being carried in the ballast water of ships and then discharged to the sea where they can harm local species.
06/13/2014
