Pasteurization: The New Norm for Ballast Water Management Systems

The IMO adopted the International Convention for the Control and Management of Ship’s Ballast Water and Sediments in February 2004, and has since made its implementation its top priority. 

Ballast Water Management System (BWMS) is used to cleanse ships’ ballast water from invasive aquatic species and thus protect the marine ecosystem. This leading problem in the shipping industry has since been factored into the Convention as the necessary quality checks that vessels are to meet. Many shipowners today are still exploring and installing various technologies to meet the Convention’s requirement.

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Types of BWMS 

Several technologies have been developed to reduce bio-invasion across different sea bodies. These include the following but are not limited to:

  • Filtration Systems
  • Chemical Disinfection
  • UV Treatment 

Many of BWMS players such as GEA Westfalia’s BallastMaster and ClearBallast use a combination of two technologies. Assessing the compatibility of systems with ship type and vessel trading pattern is thus crucial for ship owners.  

READ: Types of Ballast Water Management Systems > 

Important Considerations 

In deciding the best-fit water treatment system to install, ship owners need to consider key factors such as: 

  • Power Consumption
  • Spares and Consumables 
  • Operations and Maintenance Requirements 
  • Availability of After-Sales Service Support

The BWMS market is still at its early stages with multiple makers of varying strengths and weaknesses. A mismatch in ship and BWMS may incur unseen costs, high consumption in energy, and in spare parts like filters. Due diligence is critical in ensuring IMO-compliance and that there will be no surprises in OpEx and spare parts consumption rate. 

Therefore, the best-fit Ballast Water Management System is one that does its job according to regulations, runs at low-cost and is hassle-free. 

READ: 5 Key Factors to Consider When Buying Ballast Water System >

Simplest Solution as the Best Solution

At its core, the ballast water treatment process is solely about the removal of foreign bacteria, such as algae and zooplankton, prior to discharge. More often than not, ship managers seek simpler solutions that will reduce maintenance concerns for their crew, while cutting down OpEx in spares and power consumption, and ensuring compliance with IMO standards.

The Future of Ballast Water Treatment

Pasteurization is the emerging green solution for BWMS that every ship manager should know about. 

USCG has approved pasteurization in 2020 as a viable method to perform Ballast water treatment under Danish company, Bawat AS. This innovation has become one of the key exciting new players in the BWMS market. 

Pasteurization-based green technology is widely known in the food and pharmaceutical industry and is now poised to bring important changes as a BWMS solution to the maritime industry. It paves the way for simplified and energy-efficient solutions that will benefit ship owners and operators on the vessel. 

READ: Pasteurization for Ballast Water Treatment: What Is It? >

The flexibility of Pasteurization, such as the one-pass water treatment system offered by Bawat,  allows ship managers to operate with all tanks treated and the freedom to discharge treated ballast water from any given tank at any given time. 

This ultra-simplified process and high-performing system makes it the best-fit choice of BWMS for ship managers.

To check your ship’s compatibility for pasteurization-based BWMS click the button below: