Wärtsilä to retrofit two UK ferries with its new AQUARIUS READY ballast water management system solution
The Wärtsilä AQUARIUS READY solution is a phased process that enables cost savings and installation flexibility for ship owners preparing their vessels for ballast water treatment regulatory compliance. Having Wärtsilä as a single point of contact between the yard and the different authorities is another significant benefit for the owners, the company said in its press release.
Two Ro-Ro ferries owned by UK based Condor Ferries are to be retrofitted with Wärtsilä’s new AQUARIUS READY ballast water management system (BWMS) solution. The AQUARIUS READY concept has been developed by Wärtsilä to prepare vessels for the fitting of BWMS, while minimising vessel downtime, thereby enabling more efficient operations.
The contract was signed in February 2014 and the final equipment delivery will take place within 12 months from the ratification of the IMO Ballast Water Convention.
Preparation work has already been undertaken onboard the ferries. This includes making the required connections to the main ballast line, installing the bypass and isolating valves, preparing the space needed, and carrying out the foundation work. These tasks were carried out when the vessels were dry-docked. The actual equipment installation and commissioning will take place at a time convenient to the owners following ratification of the IMO Convention.
Wärtsilä has the marine and oil & gas industries’ most comprehensive offering of products, solutions, integrated systems, and services. Its AQUARIUS READY solution is a phased installation process that enables the equipment to be installed at a time and location convenient to the customer. The READY concept avoids capacity bottlenecks in the delivery and installation of equipment, while providing the needed flexibility to accommodate the vessel’s operational priorities. The process towards compliance with ballast water regulations is, therefore, both timely and efficient.
“The demand for Wärtsilä BWM systems is increasing rapidly as owners prepare their ships for regulatory compliance. The Wärtsilä AQUARIUS READY solution enables cost saving and installation flexibility, while having Wärtsilä as a single point of contact between the yards, the class societies, and the flag state authorities is a huge benefit for owners,” says Dr Joe Thomas, Director, Wärtsilä Ballast Water Management Systems.
“This partnership with Wärtsilä has allowed Condor to be ready to fit ballast water treatment without the need to lay up any of our ships, since the preparation work, which requires the ship to be out of service, was completed during planned refit periods. Fitment can then take place in-service when the International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships’ Ballast Water and Sediments is ratified,” says Graham Belgum, Fleet Director for Condor. Condor Ferries operates ferry services between mainland England, the Channel Islands, and France.
