HANSA 03-2020

Schiffstechnik | Ship

Schiffstechnik | Ship Technology 5 questions to … »First systems to be sold this year« What did SKF Marine develop for ballast water treatment? Mathias Rusch: We have developed our own ballast water system. Based on UV technology combined with ultrasound. Ultrasound is also used for cleaning blood in medical technology. We have looked at this technology. We found that both techniques have their strengths and weaknesses. We actually had relatively much ultrasound and little UV-light, but then we got closer with regard to the size of the organisms. The big advantage of ultrasound is that the technique also works in turbid waters, better than UV. The positive side effect is that with ultrasound technology, the tubes of UV technology can be kept continuously free. Mathias Rusch CEO – SKF Marine There are many suppliers already in the market. Why do you expose yourself to this competition? It is not the »initial market« of SKF so far… Rusch: We believe that the technology is good. We have said from the beginning that we want to have an uncomplicated system where the operator simply presses the button. We do not differentiate between systems for IMO or US Coast Guard approvals. With us, the flow is regulated according to turbidity. The operators have enough to do on board, they should not have to take care of the UVT level. One of our advantages is that we are already on the way with other products in the maritime market. Our approach © SKF Marine 5 questions to … »Chlorine dioxide is a incredibly effective biocide« Katie Weaver, Technical Sales Manager – Ecochlor Why did you opt for chlorine dioxide for ballast water treatment? Katie Weaver: We use chlorine dioxide due to its superior disinfection capabilities. It is a widely used and incredibly effective biocide that has been demonstrated to be effective in a wide variety of land-based treatment applications for over 70 years. Ecochlor was founded with the sole purpose of bringing chlorine dioxide to the ballast water treatment market, which has allowed Ecochlor to develop a simple and reliable BWMS that is effective on all aquatic organisms regardless of changes in water quality such as turbidity, salinity or temperature. Can shipowners use your systems in any kind of water or are there restrictions for different seawater types? Weaver: Our technology works in all water types. Both our USCG and IMO Type Approval were issued without limitations on temperature, salinity, or turbidity. The market of BWTS manufacturers is quite fragmented. Do you expect any consolidation? Weaver: There may be some M&A activity in the market, but right now we are seeing that as more ships are fitted with BWMS, owners are gaining experience with the variety of technologies © Ecochlor out there. The feedback we have received is that reliability, simplicity, efficacy, and prompt service are the most important factors. We expect that there will continue to be consolidation in the market as those manufacturers that have less reliable technologies or who cannot support their treatment systems post-installation lose traction in the market. We will monitor the situation, but our expansion strategy features other marine environmental and safety technologies beyond BWMS. Are there any installations planned or systems sold already? Weaver: We have a total of 139 BWTS currently installed and at the time of writing have an additional 203 systems on our order book. Approximately 125 of these systems are planned for installation in 2020. Of the 139 BWT installed, greater than 97% are currently available for operation. What do you expect in terms of technological evolution? Weaver: Like our core technology, the majority of BWMS systems available in the marketplace have been developed based on proven water treatment technology that has precedence in the land-based water treatment industry. Thus, we do not expect significant technological evolutions in the technologies themselves. One example we are currently evaluating is incorporating remote monitoring of our BWMS. We will continue to consider and incorporate modifications. 32 HANSA – International Maritime Journal 03 | 2020

Schiffstechnik | Ship Technology is not the current peak, but the long-term business with the customer: with the technology, reasonable service, spare parts supply etc. From my point of view, ballast water treatment is a critical system for the operation of the ship, therefore a high level of service is needed. Yes, there are many competitors in the market and there are more to come. But I think that in the medium term not all of them will stay in the market. Do you have the necessary IMO or USCG approvals? Rusch: We have chosen USCG, with the IMO requirements integrated. I believe that there will be a standardisation, and then more towards the stricter directive. The essential, relevant tests for our technology have been positive, well below the limits. So from my perspective there is no reason why the USCG should not agree to this. I assume that we will receive a USCG certificate in the middle of the year. Do you already talk to shipowners about installations? Rusch: Yes, we are actually negotiating with many shipowners. It is of course an advantage that we are known in the market. At the moment, all shipowners say: We need the approval, and some have fallen flat on their face in the past. When will they be ready to actually and physically install systems? Rusch: We expect the first systems to be sold this year, perhaps even the first installations this year. Discussions with interested parties are currently very positive. We are fully in the industrialization phase. 9 11 JUNE TO 2020 Southampton United Kingdom M&CCE Expo is open for business all year The Marine & Coastal Civil Engineering (M&CCE) Expo is Europe’s leading event dedicated to showcasing the latest equipment and solutions for marine, coastal and other challenging civil engineering projects with unique landscape features. Co-located with: Reach a larger audience than ever before M&CCE Expo will be co-located with Seawork, Europe’s leading commercial marine and workboat exhibition. Reserve now for 2020. Make the most of marketing support from M&CCE, Seawork and our leading commercial marine magazines, in print, online, eNews and via social media. For more information visit: mcceexpo.com contact: +44 1329 825335 or email: info@mcceexpo.com #MCCEExpo2020 Organised by: Supported by: Media partners: M&CCE HPHAD 1.0 27.01.2020.indd 1 27/01/2020 16:08 M&CCE 181x130 Hansa.indd 1 28/01/2020 14:05 HANSA – International Maritime Journal 03 | 2020 33