Ballast water Management Convention

In 2004, IMO adopted the International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships’ Ballast Water and Sediments. The convention entered into force on the 8th of September 2017. The Ballast Water Management Convention requires that all ships in international traffic are required to manage their ballast water and sediments to a certain standard, according to a ship-specific ballast water management plan

Ballast water Treatment methods

There now exists a wide variety of treatment options for ballast water. The treatment is carried out in 2 stages:

• solid-liquid separation
• disinfection

The disinfection process is achieved mainly by any or a combination of processes like:

• Electrolysis
• Ozonation
• UV
• Cavitation
• De-oxygenation
• Chemical Injection

Urgency

At present there are around 40,000 vessels would need BWM systems to be installed in the next 2-5 years. The peak requirement could be in 2019-2022 for over 10,000 vessels per year. The present average lead time for equipment supply is around 6-8 months.

Planning now and completing the estimation of the equipment capacity assist in pre ordering the equipment. This ensures timely delivery and completion of project on time. The urgency of the need to commence the system installation activities can be gauged from the fact that 50,000 vessels will be scrambling to fit a system in the coming years with owners, managers, manufacturers, shipyards and designers all being underprepared for a requirement to that scale.

The Aries “Advantage”

Aries assists vessel owners in taking a calculated step to overcome a possibly challenging scenario ahead. The first step a Shipowner or Manager intending to install a BWTS equipment onboard his ship is to perform a feasibility study.

Feasibility Study

Aries ‘Team BWTS’ has perfected a detailed methodology for the conduct of the feasibility study, which covers all aspects of the installation, as desired by the ship owner. The feasibility report that we provide enables the owner to come to an informed decision on the system that is most suited for each type or class of vessel. The report covers issues like integration and modification in the existing piping system, flow and electrical power calculations, automation/instrumentation aspects, installation requirements and a preliminary material take-off for the modification.

3D scanning and Detailed Engineering

Aries has many years of experience in providing 3D scanning services to the industry. 3D scanning of relevant areas enables the client to keep this required information ready for quick take-off as soon as a final decision on installation of the system is taken. Aries uses an advanced laser 3D Scanner for generating the As Built data. All necessary areas will be scanned by the 3D laser scanner and the generated point cloud will be used to evaluate and verify the different installation layouts. When the equipment to be installed is finalised by the Ship owner, based on our feasibility report and commercial considerations, we move to the design stage. The detailed schematics and drawings will be prepared for approval by the classification society. Fabrication spool drawings are prepared subsequently for issue to shop floor.