New company introduces BWTS filtration concept

The company aims to create new types of filters, designed specifically ballast water treatment. Mr Foss and his colleagues, including former OceanSaver R&D vice-president Aage Bjorn Andersen, have engineered their own solution to these pressing issues. Moss Hydro filters are intended to be self-cleaning and require minimal maintenance. Made from super-duplex stainless steel, they are claimed to be corrosion free and 50%-70% lighter than conventional filters. The filters are manufactured in a robotised facility in Norway, which is said to ensure high accuracy, meeting strict tolerances, and to offer high welding quality and total product uniformity.

“Our filters are unique,” comments Mr Foss. “There is nothing else on the market that offers the same quality of materials, precision manufacturing standards, self-cleaning capability and extremely short delivery times in one all-round package. This gives us a huge competitive advantage.”

Under IMO rules, says Mr Foss, all vessels must have ballast treatment systems installed by 2016. The emerging BWT system market faces challenges of supply, with few suitable filters, from only a few manufacturers. Some existing filters are prone to blockages from ocean sediment and other organics. And if the filter blocks, the BWT system stops… and so does the ship.

In order to ensure that delivery can match demand, Mr Foss points out that: “We have entered into an agreement with a world-class manufacturing facility created especially for our production needs. It is a state-of-the-art facility of 20,000m², employing 200 people and boasting huge capacity. This gives us an extremely short turnaround time for orders – a crucial point of difference as the approaching IMO regulations threaten huge supplier bottlenecks in the BWT sector. Our production capacity means that we are capable of meeting any demand from the BWT industry.”

Moss Hydro says it will begin taking initial orders for its single and multi-screen filters (prototypes have been tested up to a capacity of 3,200 m3/hr) in September, with production commencing shortly afterwards.

The company’s ambitions are clear: “It’s simple,” says Mr Foss, “we want to be the leading supplier of filters for the BWT industry. With our unique products and production capacity, the foundations are now firmly in place for us to build towards that goal.”