Wärtsilä BWMS meets EX requirements

The verification testing was handled through DEKRA, a certification body in Germany, and validates Wärtsilä’s system for use one 1 hazardous area operation in marine and offshore installations.

Joe Thomas, director, Wärtsilä Ballast Water Management Systems, said: “This is yet another important step towards making the Wärtsilä BWMS range available for the full range of marine and offshore applications. We have taken the position that it is not enough to have merely the electrical parts certified, which is the case with many other systems.”

It is an International Maritime Organisation (IMO) requirement that the BWMS for ships having hazardous areas onboard must be EX proof-certified.

“As a result, owners and operators can have the peace of mind in knowing that the entire Wärtsilä system module is explosion proof when installed inside a hazardous area,” he added.

Wärtsilä says by ensuring its system complies with both EX and IMO regulations, it improves accessibility, since the modular design allows some system components to be located outside the hazardous area, thereby increasing the availability and maintainability of the whole system.

Wärtsilä’s system comprises a modular BWMS using a two-stage approach involving filtration and medium pressure UV disinfection technology.