Pasteurising BWMS given IMO approval

Type Approval certification has been issued by Lloyd’s Register on behalf of the Danish Maritime Authority and makes the Bawat system one of the first to be approved under the new toughened ‘Code for Approval of Ballast Water Management Systems’.

“To be one of the first systems to be awarded type approval under these new tougher conditions is a confirmation of the hard work we have put into what is the most sustainable treatment system on the market,” said Bawat managing director, Marcus Hummer.

Bawat’s system design is unique in using a vessel’s own waste heat from the main engine or other heat sources to neutralise any organisms in the ballast water. By using pasteurisation the system can be used to treat ballast water in all water conditions, regardless of salinity, turbidity and temperatures, and has no holding time restrictions. Water is treated in one pass only.

The system is also unique as components such as the heat exchangers and pumps are all standard components found on board vessels, so are familiar to crew. A third defining difference is the ability to do in-voyage treatment, meaning a vessel’s cargo and ballasting operations are not impacted due to slow water treatment.

Bawat is also waiting to hear from the US Coast Guard which has been putting the system through its own Type Approval System and expects to get confirmation in the near future.