Wärtsilä Teams Up with Shipyards on BWMS Retrofitting
Image Courtesy: IMOFinnish engineering company Wärtsilä has started working with a number of major shipyards in an effort to ease the retrofitting process of Ballast Water Management systems (BWMS).
The agreements are intended to establish cooperation and communication between the parties in relation to the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) Convention for Ballast Water Management, which is due to enter into force in September of this year.
The latest contract on the matter was entered into with Singapore-based Keppel Shipyard Ltd (KSL).
Wärtsilä, which can provide the required design engineering, product supply, installation supervision, commissioning and after sales services, said that the parties are aiming to provide ship owners and operators with all necessary information and assistance concerning BWMS.
The shipyards, in addition, would provide the dry docking facilities and the necessary installation resources. Because of the relatively short period of time before the regulations enter into force, the retrofitting market is expected to be extremely active, according to the Finnish company.
The intention of the IMO legislation is to address the issue of invasive aquatic species being carried in the ballast water of ships and then discharged to the sea where they can harm local species.
Wärtsilä’s Aquarius range of Ballast Water Management systems adopt a common approach to filtration, using automatic back washing screen type filters.
