Bawat BWTS awarded USCG approval

The system is said to be the only treatment system available to shipowners that relies on heat pasteurisation to kill off aquatic organisms in ballast water instead of using filters, ultraviolet lights, electrolysis systems or active chemicals.

“We are extremely pleased to have been awarded type approval by the US Coast Guard which has one of the toughest approval processes,” said Marcus Hummer, chief executive, Bawat.

“A vessel without US Coast Guard type approval, even if not operating in US waters immediately, will certainly lack future flexibility to do so,” he added.

The Bawat technology is the only treatment technology that works with only a single pass of the ballast water through the system. For vessels on time sensitive operational profiles this is a winning factor as it gives ship operators flexibility to treat the ballast water when it suits during the vessel’s voyage. Other systems on the market require the ballast water to be treated either during loading or discharge, or both, potentially influencing port stay times.

Marcus Hummer also points out that the technology is cost-effective in that it is designed to use a ship’s own waste heat rather than rely on electricity to be generated on board. “Our system really is unique. It uses excess heat from the ship’s engine cooling water or other onboard excess heating sources to create the heat needed to pasteurise the ballast water and kill off anything in it,” he explained.