Demand for BWTS surges as regulatory deadline looms

Shipowners are now being urged, if they haven’t already done so, to get ballast water treatment systems (BWTS) installed onboard ships in order to be compliant with the 2024 deadline that is now set in place by the IMO.

The Ballast Water Management Convention (BWMC) and the deadlines for installations has been a movable feast since the Convention was ratified back in September 2017. Many in the industry were not prepared for it, although it was expected, which led to a push back on installation deadlines to allow the industry to catch up.

However, with this in mind the IMO MECP set the new deadline under the revised G8 rules that will see all vessel needing to be compliant by 2024. Due to nearly half of the world’s fleet needing to be fitted with these system and the time constraints of actually installing systems this is now having other repercussions in the industry.

Filtering down

One question that has been raised is the subject of the supply of parts, in particular filter units, some ballast water manufacturers have adapted to this future need by looking to manufacture and supply the filters for their own units.

A spin-off from this has been the reliability of filter technology, especially in more challenging waters. Due to this need for reliability ballast water manufacturers are upping their standards and doing further developments to their systems to make sure that they will meet with the requirements set for their customers.

In April this year, Ecochlor announced the launch of its EcoOne, its latest development of a no-filter BWMS and its EcoOne Hybrid. The main advantage of the systems the company highlights is that they are less costly without the sacrifice to the quality of the product.

The latest EcoOne is set to overcome the challenges of filter systems by also being able to operate in heavy challenging waters. It achieves this through having less operational parts and with this also lowering the expense of maintenance. Due to it having fewer components it is also easier to run for crew. The system also operates with less power and also has a smaller footprint.

Steve Candito, CEO, Ecochlor noted one particular study about the system in which, Argo Navis Naval Architect and Marine Engineers stated during a recent webinar that “a retrofit engineering study for an EcoOne retrofit could be completed 25% faster when compared to a standard BWTS with filter and could eliminate as much as a week in time needed for the installation of the system.” The system also requires less material and equipment costs, with as much as “40% savings in piping and between 30 to 50% less cabling in addition to some owner’s supplied equipment.”

The system has undergone land-based testing as well as real life testing onboard two Maran tankers; an Aframax and a VLCC for IMO BWMC Type Approval. Two additional tests have been carried out for USCG Type Approval which is still pending.

• EcochlorBWMS (Filtration & ClO2): Vessels operating this system can operate anywhere in the world with no restrictions when it comes to temperature, salinity, or turbidity.
• EcoOne BWMS (ClO2 alone): Vessels operating this system can operate anywhere in marine and brackish waters (i.e., ≥ 1PSU) and with no restrictions on temperature or turbidity.
• EcoOne Hybrid BWMS (Dual mode filtration & ClO2 or ClO2 alone): This system will allow shipowners to operate their BWMS either with or without a filter. This option will be suited for shipowners who wish to have the flexibility of unrestricted operation globally, with the convenience of a no-filter system. Vessels that already have an Ecochlor BWMS with filters installed can upgrade to the Hybrid option with minimal cost.

Optimarin has also been keeping busy making sure that its system will meet with the requirements set out by the G8 Guidelines. Tore Andersen, Executive Vice President Sales & Marketing, Optimarin explains that its system has recently had its filters upgraded with different filter mesh with Boll Filter and Filtrex filters.

“The system has got a revised G8 certificate and an upgraded USCG certificate with only two hours holding time,” explains Andersen, “On top of that we have got a flow control that gives the owner better possibilities to handle challenging water. The next upgrade will be a digital solution that will be launched soon, and a service package that will be launched their after.”

Filtersafe, a new entrant to the market has also been making key changes to its filter elements. Mark Riggio, Head of Marine, Filtersafe explains that: “We have recently updated our filter elements from 316L stainless steel to 904L, which give 80% more resistance to seawater corrosion.”

In addition to this, the company is also offering retrofit options for its filters to improve their cleaning efficiency and allow operators who operate in challenging water conditions the opportunity to have higher throughput and less chance of having filters clog when they are ballasting in difficult, muddy waters.

Surging orders

The manufacturers agreed that orders were rising as the deadline for fitting ballast water treatment systems nears. “Larger ships are installing systems at a faster rate than smaller ships, likely due to newbuilding rates and drydock schedules. We are also seeing companies demanding high-quality filters able to handle challenging water conditions,” comments Riggio.

However, with such high demand in the market and a plethora of systems on the market, Christopher Todd, Executive Director at Hyde Marine highlights a concern for the market in that: “Installations of systems is rapidly progressing at a rate of around 6,000 vessels per year according to recent Clarkson’s data. Much has yet to be revealed about the quality and performance of these systems over time as they are being rapidly deployed.”

Rapid deployment of systems is a concern with a surge in installations predicted by some bodies for mid next year. Andersen also comments about this rush that: “We see that owners have tried to postpone the installation as long as possible, and are now planning for installation on their fleets from 2022 and onwards. So we are going to see a boom coming in this period as is slightly a year later than expected.”

For this Optimarin are expecting to see increased growth and capacities for yards and engineering companies for ballast water treatment systems over the next couple of years. He also highlights that: “The installation cost has been increased lately due to the steel prices and capacities.” Optimarin have also seen increased demand on service and are now focusing efforts on its service networks so that it will be able to assist its customers 24/7.

Doing diligence

The other effect with this boom market has been for the ballast water treatment manufacturers themselves through further consolidation of companies. Candito remarks about this: “We are already beginning to see consolidation within the BWMS sector; some manufacturers are no longer supporting their installed systems and/or are not pursing regulatory compliance, such as the IMO BWMC. It is important for shipowners to research makers to ensure that they are planning with long-haul strategies in place for a solid position in the world market.”

Performance and reliability are key for shipowners adopting this technology. For shipowners the systems need to work and have the reassurance that they will work for a long period and in any environment.

As Riggio comments: “Performance, performance, performance. Ships are learning to live with BWMS and they are learning that performance is the key to their happiness.”

Ecochlor also echo’s this with Candito noting that: “I believe a main concern for shipowners is when they don’t have confidence that their BWMS system is in compliance every time the ship discharges.” He notes that to meet with this challenge Ecochlor look to meet and exceed the environmental regulatory standards for its clients.

Todd also comments that: “some systems are not reliable or are not treating to the required discharge standard, which can cause delays getting into or out of port.” The issue with this going forward will be that as enforcement ramps up this can end up being costly for the shipowner in both time and money to resolve.

In September 2020, Ecochlor received Type Approval from the Norwegian Maritime Authority (NMA) for the IMO BWMS Code (MEPC.300(72) / revised 2016 G8) standards. The new certification applies to the entire range of Ecochlor ballast water management systems (BWMSs), with flow rates of between 500m³/hr. and 16,200 m³/hr., meaning that shipowners can continue to install the Ecochlor BWMS since the IMO BWMS Code came into force on October 28, 2020, deadline. The Company completed the additional testing required for active substance technologies for full approval in marine, brackish and fresh waters earlier in 2020. The tests confirmed that no changes in equipment or in the operation of the Ecochlor BWMS were required.

To conclude, there are still challenges that lie ahead for shipowners and BWTM’s, as Riggio highlights: “The market needs to continue to work together to learn from the experience of the first half of the installation cycle. We are halfway through the 5-year cycle and there are many players as we have always had. There is not enough market for the number of treatment systems available and cost continues to have significant negative pressures.”

Meeting with the regulations

The IMO MEPC G8 Revised Guidelines came into force in October last year which has not just impacted shipowners but also the ballast water treatment manufacturers, as they dash to get ships compliant by the new deadline.

The main concern in the industry is around the subject of testing, as some flags jump ahead and start to make it compulsory ahead of the IMO deadline. Many are concerned about the hurdle that this will present in the future and the impact that it will have on the systems that they select.

Tore Andersen, Executive Vice president Sales & Marketing Optimarin explains the concerns around testing: “The only concern is this possible test after installation as it will create extra work, time and money. It has to be done according to our guidelines as is often forgotten during the process and there can be failure in the test because of the tanks not being clean for example.”

Ecochlor’s CEO, Steve Candito pointed out that as of 28^th October 2020, shipowners were required to install a system that has a BWMS Type Approval in order to be compliant with the IMO BWMC. “This requirement will negatively impact any vessel with trade routes outside the United States that selected a BWMC without approval,” he adds.

There are four changes implemented in the BWMS code that shipowners should be aware of:

• System operating parameters
• System design limitations (SDL’s)
• Bypass records requirement
• General monitoring notations

These changes also bring more challenges with them, for instance, Candito highlights that the changes in “system operating parameters”, in relation to water quality, focuses on the salinity and temperature of the water. For G8 Type Approval, manufacturers could test their BWMS in only two different salinities but received an approval for all three water types – fresh, salt, and brackish water. Under the new BWMS Code requirements, manufacturers must test in all three salinities to receive approval for all three. Further, at least five land-based test cycles in each salinity must be conducted in order to evaluate compliance with the D-2 standard at the minimum holding time specified by the BWMS manufacturer. A BWMS that has not been tested in all salinities will have their limitations included within the Type Approval Certificate.

Candito continues to explain that the second change focuses on System Design Limitations (SLDs) and again the Type Approval Certificate must identify each relevant operational parameter together with the validated low and/or high parameters. For example, if there are limitations related to turbid or “dirty water”, which would be particularly important for UV system approval for vessels on trade routes that include muddy rivers like the Mississippi, Amazon, and Yangtze. The vessel owner must ensure that any UV BWMS’s SDL encompass the dirtiest water the vessel is likely to encounter or the BWMS will not be approved to operate in certain locations based on the SDL listed on the Type Approval Certificate.

Chris Todd, Hyde Marine also adds: “System Design Limitations are more clearly identified under the BWMC Code. Unfortunately, many vessels will encounter water conditions or quality that are outside the SDL’s for a particular system which can result in performance or downtime issues.”

Tim Fileman, Technical Manager & Head, The Ballast Water Centre also adds that there is also a concern about the lack of efficacy testing going into the future. “If we are to make BWMS work for the environment there must be compulsory efficacy testing of systems to check function and operation,” he says.

Candito notes that the third factor relates to bypass requirements in the BWMS Code that now requires makers to have “…bypasses or overrides to protect the safety of the ship and personnel…” that are connected to the vessel’s ballast system. These bypass systems must activate an alarm and be recorded by the BWMS’s control and monitoring equipment. The crew is also required to record this information within the ballast water record book every time the system is bypassed, or an alarm activates.

Lastly, Candito says with regard to general monitoring, the system must monitor, record and store sufficient data on the various operating parameters to verify correct operation for the past two years. Alerts must automatically occur when the system is shutdown or when an operational parameter exceeds the approved parameter.

Todd notes that the next steps for the maritime industry will be “initial testing at system installation of prove efficacy, as well as component replacement for upgrades and obsolescence.”

Fileman concludes that: “We are now in the phase of getting all ships fitted with BWTS before 2024. This is a big hurdle to overcome,” that also technologies for treatment will need to be improved and also look to developing new technologies along the way.