GEA Westfalia books first cruise ship BWTS order

BallastMaster marineX: Filtration and UV treatment in one compact unit

MARCH 20, 2015 — GEA Westfalia Separator Group GmbH has received its first order for installation of its BallastMaster marineX UV ballast water treatment systems (BWTS) in cruise ships. The contract comes from a European shipyard and covers the equipping of two new vessels with one BallastMaster marineX each and includes an option for equipping a third cruise liner.

GEA Westfalia’s scope of supply for the cruise ships also includes ten GEA type OSE separators for fuel and lube oil treatment with CFR (Certified Flow Rate) and two ViscoBooster units for optimum fuel conditioning.

The ballast water treatment systems, with a throughput capacity of 500 cu.m/h each, feature two-phase operation with mechanical prefiltration and subsequent disinfection of the ballast water by UV treatment without using and generating chemicals.

Developed in cooperation with Canadian UV system specialist Trojan Technologies, the patented BallastMaster marineX systems has been specifically developed for onboard ballast water treatment. It has a compact design and reliably removes high concentrations of organisms and sediment particles.

The integration of filtration and UV treatment in one unit produces synergistic effects in terms of operating costs and performance efficiency.

The water flows directly through the filter without any connecting lines to the UV treatment unit – the flow is consistent and pressure loss is minimal. The result is an easy to operate system with reduced power consumption, lower space requirement and low pressure requirements for back-flushing.

“For operators of large cruise liners, this aspect, together with the low overall operating costs, the low maintenance costs and the use without hazardous materials, are convincing reasons to decide in favor of the efficient UV-based GEA solution,” says Michael Fibbe, GEA Key Account Manager Cruise. “The system can be configured in a flexible manner and is thus also suitable for retrofitting in existing cruise liners.”

The BallastMaster marineX ballast water management system has the IMO type approval and U.S. Coast Guard AMS acceptance. It is is approved to the lowest level of UV permeability (poorwater quality) with maximum flow rate. This is applicable for all three salt level contents: Fresh water, brackish water and sea water.