Alfa Laval wins two contracts for fleetwide BWMS installations

Polsteam's fleet agreement expands upon a previous investment in PureBallast 3 systems

MAY 8, 2018 — In a sign that shipowners are now thinking in terms of fleetwide installations of ballast water management systems, Alfa Laval reports that has signed fleet agreements with Polsteam and Nova Ship Tech SA for the supply of PureBallast 3, its third generation ballast water treatment technology.

Under the agreements, Alfa Laval says it will provide “dozens” of Polsteam and Nova Ship Tech SA vessels with PureBallast 3 systems – the vast majority of which will handle large flows of more than 1,000 cu.m/h.

According to Alfa Laval, the agreements with the two companies come as many shipowners shift their focus from individual ballast water treatment systems (BWTS) to complete fleet solutions. Over the past year, clarifications of the ballast water management legislation have made it easier – and more important – to maintain a wider, more long-term perspective.

“Leading actors like Polsteam and Nova Ship Tech SA are now pursuing ballast water treatment system retrofits in earnest,” says Anders Lindmark, Head of Alfa Laval PureBallast. “In light of recent directives from authorities, they are keen to secure not just the right technology, but also a stable partner who will be there to support them in the long term.”

Polsteam’s fleet agreement expands upon a previous investment in PureBallast 3 systems that the company made in mid-2017. With the installation of those six systems currently underway, Polsteam has now chosen to equip the rest of its fleet with PureBallast 3 – bringing its total ownership to 60 systems. All systems will handle large flows of at least 1,000 cu.m/h, with 16 systems handling 2,000 cu.m/h or more.

“This was a key decision for Polsteam, based on long-term factors such as operating economy and supplier security,” says Grzegorz Wardzyński, Director of the Technical Department at Polsteam. “The UV technology used by PureBallast 3 will be simpler and more cost-effective than electrochlorination, even for our very large systems. But it was equally important to choose a supplier who could deliver now and still be there to support us long into the future.”

“Knowledge, service and parts will be critical to ensure compliance in the years our vessels have ahead,” Wardzyński says. “That made Alfa Laval and PureBallast 3 the right choice for equipping our fleet.”

For Nova Ship Tech SA, whose fleet agreement covers ballast water treatment systems for 34 vessels, the high flexibility of PureBallast 3 was a major factor in the decision. PureBallast 3 can be implemented smoothly, despite the variations that exist when working across a fleet.

“Intervening in the existing structures and systems of ships in operation is much more complex than a whole newbuild project,” says Francesco Costagliola, Nova Ship Tech SA Technical Manager. “Alfa Laval PureBallast 3 has a compact and highly flexible structure that facilitates installation as a retrofit. Above all, Alfa Laval has the field expertise and proven operating procedures to adapt it to any ship.”

Costagliola notes, however, that the choice of PureBallast 3 goes deeper than installation. “The operating costs and the opportunity for global service are clearly very important to us,” he says. “If there were any problems of any kind, we know that Alfa Laval would solve them.”