More owners of large vessels are opting for UV BWTS

Alfa Laval PureBallast 3.1 for large-flow ballast water treatment systems

JANUARY 22, 2018 — Alfa Laval says that an increasing number of owners of tankers and other large vessels are choosing UV based ballast water treatment systems (BWTS) over electrochlorination based systems.

To date, Alfa Laval has won orders for almost 90 of its UV based PureBallast 3.1 systems with capacities in the range of 1,000 cu.m/h or more, challenging the notion that electrochlorination is the default for large ballast water flows.

Today’s UV systems compete easily in terms of footprint and energy efficiency, even at flows of 1,000 cu.m/h or above, says Alfa Laval, adding to operational advantages that include a chemical-free process posing no corrosion risk.

A string of recent orders won by PureBallast 3.1 in the large-flow range include one from Nakilat, operator of the world’s largest LNG carrier fleet, who will retrofit two PureBallast 3.1 systems of 2,000 cu.m/h. A further system of this size, will be retrofitted by European oil tanker management company DS Tankers.

“PureBallast 3.1 was selected not only for its small footprint and simple installation, but also for its ease of use,” says Anders Lindmark, Head of Alfa Laval PureBallast. “No chemicals are needed to treat the ballast water or to neutralize residuals, which means there will be no chemical handling on the part of the crews. And just as importantly, there will be no risk of corrosion in the system components or ballast water tanks. Those things make a difference for any vessel, large or small.”