Optimarin has successfully completed all the United States Coast Guard’s (USCG) required land-based, shipboard and environmental testing for its ballast water treatment system(BWTS), Optimarin Ballast System (OBS).
The company has also become the first BWTS manufacturer to complete all testing of a UV-based treatment system under the USCG CMFDA testing criteria. This criterion specifies that instant death must occur after treatment using a test/counting method (CMFDA) which is a staining method used to determine that the organisms are dead immediately after treatment.
They tested the system with all types of water; marine, brackish and freshwater, so if Type Approval is granted by the USCG then the system will be suitable for use in all water types.
Optimarin’s CEO, Tore Andersen commented: “We’ve spent over two decades, and many millions of dollars, in our quest to develop the best, most compliant BWT technology on the market. That dedication is now paying off. We have an excellent orderbook, stable finances and management, and a very bright future ahead – with what we believe should be five to seven years of exponentially rising revenues.”
Full Type Approval is expected in Q3 following the completion of all necessary documentation.
The International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) Ballast Water Management Convention currently only requires another 0.13% of global tonnage to ratify the Convention to trigger its entry into force, upon which ship owners will have to rush to select and install BWTS before the compliance date stipulated under the Convention.
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