The technology group Wärtsilä has agreed to supply globally operating tanker vessels managed by Minerva Marine Inc. with Aquarius ballast water management systems (BWMS). The agreement covers the retrofit of several vessels and represents an important milestone in the BWMS retrofit market.
The main BWMS chosen for tankers managed by Minerva Marine Inc. is the Wärtsilä Aquarius ATEX compliant Electro Chlorintation EX, which uses a proven two-stage process involving both filtration and electro-chlorination (EC). The system is EX/ATEX approved, which is a requirement for oil tankers. In addition to the main systems, the agreement includes local service support, such as training, spare parts, annual inspections and lifecycle support provided by Wärtsilä
“We are proud to announce this extensive cooperation with Minerva Marine Inc., which shows that our safety and environment-focused approach is very attractive to tanker vessel operators. We work in close cooperation with our customers, and our BWMS partnership programme covers all stages from fleet evaluation to lifecycle support, making sure our customers can choose a service that is best suited to their specific needs,” says Giampiero de Cubellis, General Manager, Sales Support, Development & Projects, Wärtsilä Services.
Securing safe operations
Minerva Marine Inc. is a private company which manages a robust fleet of VLCC, Aframax, Suezmax, Medium Range tankers and Capesize bulk carriers.
“The operation of vessels under our management, which involves carrying crude oil and product cargoes around the world, allows no exceptions when it comes to safety and environmental protection. Wärtsilä was able to offer a strong safety-led and reliable design approach that is expected to meet the requirements of the complex market we operate in. The possibility to get lifecycle support from Wärtsilä’s worldwide service network and the BWMS’ compliance within challenging environmental parameters also affected our choice of supplier,” say Minerva Representatives, Stavros Daniolos, Technical manager and Vayia Hatziyianni, Project team leader.
About ballast water
Ballast water may be taken onboard by ships for stability and can contain thousands of aquatic or marine microbes, plants and animals, which are then carried to other parts of the world. Untreated ballast water released at the ship’s destination can potentially introduce new invasive species, with devastating consequences for the local ecosystem. The International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships’ Ballast Water and Sediments (2004) was adopted to introduce global regulations to control the transfer of potentially invasive species. It requires ballast water to be treated before being released into a new location. The BWM Convention will enter into force on 8 September 2017.
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For further information, please contact:
Yiannis Christopoulos
Wärtsilä Service Unit Director, Greece and Cyprus
yiannis.christopoulos@wartsila.com
Tel. +30 6944 594562
Hanna Viita
Director, Marketing
Wärtsilä Services
hanna.viita@wartsila.com
Tel: +358 40 167 1755
Wärtsilä Services in brief
Wärtsilä Services creates lifecycle services for its customers, enhancing their business – whenever, wherever. We provide industry’s broadest range of services for both shipping and power generation. Our solutions range from spare parts and basic support to ensuring maximised lifetime, increased efficiency and guaranteed performance of customer’s equipment or installation – in a safe, reliable, and environmentally sustainable way.
http://www.wartsila.com/services
Wärtsilä in brief
Wärtsilä is a global leader in advanced technologies and complete lifecycle solutions for the marine and energy markets. By emphasising sustainable innovation and total efficiency, Wärtsilä maximises the environmental and economic performance of the vessels and power plants of its customers. In 2016, Wärtsilä's net sales totalled EUR 4.8 billion with approximately 18,000 employees. The company has operations in over 200 locations in more than 70 countries around the world. Wärtsilä is listed on Nasdaq Helsinki.
www.wartsila.com
