Optimarin has today achieved an industry milestone by becoming the first ballast water treatment system (BWTS) supplier to gain full United States Coast Guard (USCG) Type Approval for its Optimarin Ballast System (OBS).
The first USCG Type Approval has been long awaited, with many systems achieving USCG Alternate Management System (AMS) acceptance, but none prior to Optimarin reaching the Type Approval status.
The OBS uses both filtration and 25kW ultraviolet lamps to treat the ballast water without the need for chemicals.
The system was tested by DNV GL to USCG standards for fresh, brackish, and marine water at the NIVA test facility in Norway.
Optimarin CEO Tore Andersen commented: “This is a huge day for our company, and our customers. USCG has the world’s most stringent testing standards, meaning that once a system has approval it is assured of total global compliance, now and into the future.
There are numerous units with USCG Alternate Management Systems (AMS) certification, but this is a temporary measure to allow trading in US waters. At some point, if they haven’t met full USCG approval standards, they will have to be changed. So, it really pays for ship owners to invest in fully compliant systems today for their entire fleets. The peace of mind that provides cannot be overstated.”
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