Damen’s mobile ballast water discharge technology solution is entering the final phase of certification by the Dutch flag State, meaning it is one step closer to achieving International Maritime Organization (IMO) type approval.
The ballast discharge solution, known as InvaSave, is unique as it is a mobile technology for use in port services. It has been successfully tested in various representative challenging water conditions and has completed official land-based tests at the MEA Institute in the Netherlands as well as commencing final shipboard tests this week onboard an 800TEU container ship,Henrike Schepers. Testing has been in line with the IMO Ballast Water Management Convention (BWMC) test guidelines and additional requirements of the Dutch flag State.
According to the company, the shipboard tests will involve taking in untreated ballast water and then validating the efficacy of the system once discharged.
As the system treats ballast water in one step, ship owners and operators are able to treat ballast water at port, saving the need for retrofitting ballast water treatment systems onboard the vessel. Additionally, because the system comes in a self-sufficient mobile container, it can be placed onboard by a service barge or moved around the port easily.
The technology is pending a patent and is expected to gain IMO type approval in Q3 of 2016.
The first InvaSave systems will be operational at Groningen Seaports located in the Dutch Waddensea, a protected UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) world heritage site, after the IMO BWMC enters into force.
