Press Release: Optimarin, the ballast water treatment (BWT) specialist, today reports a year-on-year increase in sales of more than 100% for Q3, with order intake at an all-time high. The growth, consolidating the trend seen in Q2, comes on the back of a number of new fleet agreements with leading owners and operators, of which Singapore’s Asiatic Lloyd Shipmanagement LLP is the latest signing.
Market moves
“September’s IMO D2 deadline for BWT compliance has created, quite rightly, a sense of urgency in the market, and we are now seeing more activity than ever before,” comments Leiv Kallestad, Optimarin CEO.
“Optimarin’s simple, reliable and market proven technology – added to our quarter century of industry understanding and niche expertise – makes us an obvious first port of call for forward-thinking owners. Asiatic Lloyd Shipmanagement LLP is a perfect example, positioning itself at the front of the industry to ensure complete compliance and installations that fit its busy customer schedule. We’d advise other shipping companies to follow their lead.”
Quality focus
The contract with Asiatic Lloyd will see 30 modular and easy to retrofit Optimarin Ballast Systems (OBS) installed across the company’s fleet of 1,000-9,000 TEU containerships. Installation will be rolled out from the end of 2019 through to 2022, with Optimarin’s specialist engineering partners using expertise garnered from almost 200 retrofits to ensure simple, trusted and on schedule completion.
“We were looking for a partner that could demonstrate a lengthy track record of success in this niche, while offering the service, support and network to guarantee long-term peace of mind for the future,” explains Tonci Zdunic, Fleet Director, Asiatic Lloyd Shipmanagement LLP.
“As a company we are focused on operations and customer service that are defined by optimal quality, and we wanted to work with a supplier that could match those standards. I’m confident we have made the right choice and I look forward to building a very strong working relationship with Optimarin in the years to come.”
Repeat success
In addition to the Asiatic Lloyd contract, Optimarin has also seen increased activity from customers in the Mediterranean, Eastern Asia and North America (the firm was the very first to achieve full USCG approval for its environmentally friendly, UV-based system). Kallestad says he is particularly pleased by the number of ‘repeat sales’ flowing into the Norwegian-headquartered business.
“This,” Optimarin’s CEO notes, “is perhaps the best endorsement of both the technology and our service standards. Shipowners order, install and operate our systems and are so pleased with the results they return. That, for an organization that has been passionately (and exclusively) focused on BWT for over 25 years, is hugely gratifying.”
Long-term value
He concludes: “Our Q3 performance has been excellent and 2019 will be our best year ever for both revenues and profits. However, as an organization we’re far more focused on what lies ahead – building our business and market share to provide the best sales and after sales standards, while providing secure, optimal long-term value for all our stakeholders. We believe there’s very exciting times on the horizon.”
Current Optimarin customers include names such as Royal Caribbean International, Fednav, GulfMark, Hapag Lloyd, Matson Navigation, McDermott, the Danish Navy, MOL, Seatruck, Technip, and the Royal Netherlands Navy, amongst others. The Optimarin Ballast System (OBS) has certification from a comprehensive range of classification organizations, including ABS, BV, DNV-GL, LR & MLIT Japan, as well as full USCG and IMO type approval.
