Oldendorff Carriers chooses ERMA FIRST BWTS

The operator plans to fit a trial ERMA FIRST system in July 2018 and start fitting many of its vessels in 2019 to have time to train and implement the system before vessels are required to comply with the new Ballast Water regulations.

“We have had an internal task force working on BWTS for two years, during this time we have thoroughly investigated many systems, particularly those with US Coast Guard approval. We were very impressed with the professionalism of ERMA FIRST and are very pleased to partner with them on the BWTS project,” said Niklas Richter, project manager at the Oldendorff Carriers Green Ships Department.

Suitability

The ERMA FIRST BWTS FIT is USCG type approved and IMO approved for nearly all water types.

It’s a simple BWTS which is flexible and suitable for small and large ballast-pump capacities and it also has a small footprint with a low power consumption.

During ballasting, the water goes through the filter, where organisms and sediment with a diameter larger than 40 microns are separated and further discharged overboard.

The filtered water then enters the electrolytic cell where free chlorine is produced through the electrolysis process at a very low concentration (around 4-6 mg/L). The treated water then enters the ballast tanks.

During de-ballasting, the system will only monitor the residual oxidants and will further intervene if necessary meaning that the main stages of the system, filtration and disinfection, are bypassed.