Panasia BWMS steps towards US approval
On December 14 2015 the US Coast Guard (USCG) announced its decision that MPN sampling would not be considered an equivalent testing method, as it shows only the ability or otherwise of organisms in treated ballast water to reproduce. That is allowable under IMO’s Ballast Water Convention, but not under US Environmental Protection Agency rules, which require organisms to be killed.
Panasia’s GloEn-Patrol system however uses a different sampling method, FDA/CMFDA, which is allowed by the US authorities. In October its system passed testing at the Golden Bear facility in California, with DNV GL as the independent laboratory required for pursuing USCG type approval.
In a statement the company said: “The [USCG] announcement can easily lead the customers to misunderstand or misinterpret UV technology. In fact, not every UV-based [system] is the same or uses the MPN method for USCG type approval.”
GloEn-Patrol’s filtration technology reinforces the FDA/CMFDA measurements, despite only requiring a small amount of water to be back flushed. The company cited other filtration systems, which it claims need approximately 12.82l/s of water to achieve 350m3/h treatment rated capacity, compared to the 0.1l/s needed for the GloEn-Filter.
Remaining tests for brackish and fresh water will be carried out from this month, and Panasia anticipates receiving USCG type approval in the fourth quarter of the year.
The company concluded: “USCG type approval is considered as a crucial and representative world standard. In cooperation with DNV GL, Panasia will adhere to an FDA/CMFDA-centric strategy to prove no dependence on the MPN method.”
