By
Rebecca Gibson |
The US Coast Guard (USCG) has approved Hyundai Heavy Industries’ (HHI) electrolysis-based ballast water treatment system as an alternative management system (AMS) for vessels visiting the country’s ports.
HiBallast – which received type approval from the International Maritime Organization in 2011 – filters and sterilises seawater to remove bacteria and plankton through electrolysis. The AMS solution processes 8,000 cbm of seawater per hour with small power consumption, while its modular design enables easy installation.
The system will enable operators to comply with the Standards for Living Organisms in Ships’ Ballast Water Discharged in US Waters Final Rule, which states that all ships built after December 2013 must install an approved ballast water system when calling at US ports.
HHI also aims to secure USCG approval for EcoBallast – which sterilises seawater using ultraviolet rays – by the first half of 2014.