By
Rebecca Gibson |
Hyde Marine is to install its chemical-free Hyde Guardian Gold Ballast Water Treatment System (BWTS) at Grand Bahama Shipyard (GBS), which is based in Freeport, Grand Bahama Island.
Hyde Marine’s BWTS will be used by vessels docking at GBS, which carries out repairs, upgrades and conversions on a range of oceangoing vessels.
Offering a two-step treatment process, the Hyde Guardian Gold BWTS uses an automatic-backwash filter to separate physical solids and liquids and remove sediment and large organisms from the ballast water. Ultraviolet light is then used to inactivate or kill any remaining organisms, which prevents ships from spread invasive species as they travel between ports.
The system will enable operators to meet the International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships’ Ballast Water and Sediments requirements, which were introduced by the International Maritime Organization in 2004. The legislation mandates that ships must conduct a ballast water exchange or to meet concentration-based ballast water discharge standards at ports with ballast tanks 99.99% free of living organisms and pathogens.
“Aligning our installation efforts with GBS enables Hyde Marine to further expand its commitment to shipowners, as we work with them to complete upgrades of their existing fleets to meet any future ballast water treatment regulations,” said John Platz, president of Hyde Marine.