Wärtsilä and COSCO tie up ballast water management deal

Finland-based power supplier Wärtsilä and Chinese shipping, logistics, and shipbuilding giant COSCO have signed a win-win manufacturing license agreement for ballast water management systems (BWMSs) that took effect on 1 June.

The deal gives COSCO access totechnologyand the rights to manufacture the Wärtsilä Aquarius electro-chlorination (EC) BWMSs under license for application in their global marinemarket. In return Wärtsilä gains access to an additional manufacturing facility that can assist with BWMS supply and demand direct to customers.

The deal comes as Wärtsilä celebrates an increasing number of orders and accolades for the Aquarius BWMS following the company’s dedicated development programme that was initiated in 2010 and followed by vessel trials – such as that aboard ro-ro vessel Anvil Point, which commenced in June 2011 under the auspices of Lloyd’s Register.

There are two Aquarius versions: the EC and the ultraviolet (UV). The latter was granted IMO type approval in 2012 and United States Coastguard (USCG) ‘Alternate Management System’ (AMS) acceptance in October 2013.

This allows all US- and foreign-flagged ships fitted with the BWMS to operate in US territorial waters and to discharge treated ballast water for an interim period of up to five years from the ship-specific implementation date.

The time required to complete type approval for an EC system is longer as the treatment process uses an active substance that requires both intermediate basic and final approval from IMO GESAMP as pre-requisites to a type approval application.

Aquarius EC is now type-approved according to the IMO convention and also won an AMS acceptance certificate from the USCG in November last year. It has also successfully completed landed-based testing in accordance with the USCG environmental technology verification protocols and USCG type approval is anticipated early in 2016.

Aquarius UV was also granted explosion-proof (EX) certification in 2Q 2014 and can be installed in Zone 1 hazardous areas. In March Wärtsilä won a landmark contract to equip eight new 33,000 dwt chemical tankers – currently under construction in Asia – with the system: its first EX delivery.

On 27 May, Wärtsilä received another important order for the Aquarius UV BWMS for three container vessels being built at the Jinhai Shipyard in China for a major European shipping company.

The latest deal with COSCO (Weihai) Shipbuilding Marine Technology Company (WECOSCO) has a five-year initial term and sees Wärtsilä retaining ownership of the Aquarius EC technology and its associated intellectual property rights.

“We will provide technical support to WECOSCO, who will manufacture the system under license for applications on ships across the global marine market, including COSCO,” Wärtsilä stated, adding, “Aquarius EC BWMS will be installed not only on new ships but also for the significant retrofit market.”

Wärtsilä BWMS director Dr Joe Thomas said, “By combining the strengths of our two companies, we can more effectively meet the growing demand for EC-based BWMSs in the short term and for medium to large vessel applications. Our combined global service networks also ensure that the BWMS is fully supported wherever and whenever needed.”

WECOSCO chairman Jia Lianjun concluded, “We have achieved a win-win co-operation. The agreement, which has a representative meaning for both of us, is a good foundation for our further co-operation.”

source:ihsmaritime360.com