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Alfa Laval feels well-positioned in the market of ballast water treatment. A recent type approval and orders for its technology are seen as evidence for the potential on the path taken

It was only a few days ago, when the Sweden-headquartered company announced that its »PureBallast 3« is the first[ds_preview] solution to meet the revised IMO G8 testing requirements. Norwegian-German classification society DNV GL, acting on behalf of the Norwegian Maritime Authority, issued an updated type approval certificate, »making Alfa Laval the first supplier compliant with the revised G8 demands,« according to a statement of the manufacturer. Anders Lindmark, Head of Alfa Laval PureBallast said: »Our customers require future-proof solutions, which is why certification in compliance with the revised G8 guidelines has been a high priority for us.«

The robust revised G8 guidelines are more in line with today’s stringent U.S. Coast Guard requirements. They constitute an important change, derived from the fact that some systems which were type approved according to the original G8 guidelines have failed to meet the D-2 performance standard when subjected to additional tests or evaluation. Customer organizations such as the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) have pushed for the revised G8 guidelines, seeking to make certain that the industry’s massive investments in ballast water treatment will achieve the intended results – instead of merely adding hardware.

Alfa Laval admits there is no immediate need to purchase a system with revised G8 compliance, because ballast water treatment systems approved under the former guidelines can still be installed until 2020. Likewise, no upgrades of previously installed systems will be necessary. »Nevertheless, readiness for revised G8 compliance shows PureBallast is a robust solution that will let shipowners make the most of their investment,« it is said.

Alfa Laval explains that the company was early to begin biological efficacy testing according to the new G8 regime. Tests with marine, brackish and fresh water were completed in Q3 2017, along with additional tests to verify the independence of results from water temperature. After review and reporting by DNV GL on behalf of the Norwegian Maritime Authority, an approval of the industry’s first revised G8 certificate was received – »with only a single sensor added to the PureBallast 3 hardware and no changes to its power consumption or flow.«

Earlier this year, the company already announced that among the owners of tankers and other large vessels those choosing UV ballast water treatment over electrochlorination continues to grow. According to the statement, orders for PureBallast 3.1 are totalling almost 90 systems in the range of 1,000m3/h.

»UV ballast water treatment systems are challenging the notion that electrochlorination is the default for large ballast water flows. Today’s UV systems compete easily in terms of footprint and energy efficiency, even at flow rates of 1,000 m3/h or above,« Lindmark said. He added that the trend towards UV ballast water treatment technology is evident in a string of recent orders in the large-flow range.

All in all, Alfa Laval has sold roughly 1,500 PureBallast systems to customers, around 500 of which have been for retrofit projects.