Bio-Sea BWTS successfully installed in CMA CGM flagship

Benoit Gillmann, President and CEO, BIO-UV Group explaining the workings of a Bio-Sea control system

SEPTEMBER 18, 2018 — France’s BIO-UV Group has successfully installed and commissioned its Bio-Sea ballast water treatment system (BWTS) in CMA CGM’s new flagship, the 400 m long, 20,600 TEU CMA CGM Antoine De Saint Exupéry.

The vessel, one of the largest containerships to be built by the Hanjin Heavy Industries’ shipyard in the Philippines, and the largest to fly the French flag, was christened in Le Havre earlier this month.

BIO-UV Group is to also supply BIO-Sea units for nine 22,000 TEU CMA CGM vessels under construction in China, following the signing of a supply order earlier this year.

“The successful installation and commissioning of the 2000 cu,m/h capacity Bio-Sea unit in this new flagship, together with newbuild and retrofit installations planned in coming months, puts CMA CGM very much ahead in the game,” said Benoit Gillmann, President and CEO, BIO-UV Group, “We anticipate a significant spike in ballast water retrofits over the next two to three years. Taking newbuilds and retrofits into account, the market is worth more than €7.5 billion and if Bio-Sea can account for just 5% of this over the next six years or so, then we would be very happy, indeed.”

Xavier Deval, Business Director, Bio-Sea, said: “We anticipate the market beginning to take shape in 2019, but the big boom is likely to be in the 2020-2021 period. It will inevitably be a last-minute rush, so owners really do need to plan ahead to account for any increase in lead times. Depending on the size of the system, we can supply Bio-Sea units within 8 to 12 weeks.”

The short lead time is possible because each Bio-Sea unit is designed and manufactured completely in-house, at the company’s production plant in Lunel, France.

The BioSea system incorporates two technologies in a single, fully automated skid-mounted or modular unit. The system first cleans ballast water using a screen filter, in order to reduce the amount of total suspended particles present in the seawater.

The second technology – BIO-UV Group’s patented UV-based disinfection technology – treats the water and eliminates all microorganisms without the addition of chemicals or active substances. The water passes through a reactor where UV rays destroy the microorganisms’ DNA.

Since one 22 kW UV lamp can treat flow rates of 150 cu.m/h, overall system footprint is minimal compared to other UV-based technologies.

Commenting on the market acceptance of the Bio-Sea system, Mr. Gillmann said: “As a result of the recently announced supply order from CMA CGM, we have noticed considerable interest in the technology. During the SMM exhibition, in Hamburg Germany, we met with over 100 shipowners, engineering advisory firms, shipyards and agents, all of whom were interested in the dual IMO/USCG certification we received in June. Only two other companies in the world currently have this dual certification for UV systems.”