Minerva Marine has selected Wartsila’s ballast water management systems (BWMS) in a bid to ensure compliance with ballast water treatment requirements.
The agreement covers the retrofit of “several vessels” and was described by Wartsila as “an important milestone” in the BWMS retrofit market.
The Andreas Martinos-backed shipowner manages a fleet of VLCC, suezmax, aframax and MR tankers as well as capesize bulkers.
The main BWMS chosen for the tankers is the Aquarius ATEX compliant Electro Chlorintation EX, which uses a two-stage process involving both filtration and electro-chlorination (EC).
In addition to the main systems, the agreement includes local service support, such as training, spare parts, annual inspections and lifecycle support.
“The operation of vessels under our management allows no exceptions when it comes to safety and environmental protection,” say Minerva technical manager Stavros Daniolos and project team leader Vayia Hatziyianni.
“Wartsila was able to offer a strong safety-led and reliable design approach that is expected to meet the requirements of the complex market we operate in.
“The possibility to get lifecycle support from Wartsila’s service network and the BWMS’ compliance within challenging environmental parameters also affected our choice of supplier.”
The International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships' Ballast Water and Sediments (2004) will enter into force on 8 September 2017.
