Damen to supply world’s smallest ballast water treatment system
Damen has signed its first contract with ballast water treatment systems producer Erma First, to supply the world’s smallest ballast water treatment system, OneTank.
OneTank uses chemical injection methods to clean ships’ ballast water. Damen says it represents an important expansion of the company’s ballast water treatment system portfolio.
Damen Green Solutions has a broad selection of ballast water treatment systems in its range. These offer ship-owners various capacities and techniques in treating their ballast water. With the addition of the Erma First OneTank, Damen says it can provide clients with a solution that is not only small, but also modular.
This modularity will be particularly important in Damen’s first project with Greece-based Erma First, where the client was looking for a plug-and-play ballast water treatment product that could be placed on the deck of its vessel.
“Erma First’s OneTank is small enough to be housed in a twenty-foot container,” says Damen sales manager Rutger van Dam. “This means that installation will be quite straightforward and, more importantly, at the end of the vessel’s operational life, the whole system can be removed and installed on another vessel.
“We have different systems available from various manufacturers. We know the pros and cons of all these systems; they have varying capacities and use different techniques: UV, filtration, electrolysis, and now chemical injection. Whatever the client requires, we have the knowledge and experience in house to offer exactly what they are looking for.”
To treat a vessel’s ballast water, the Erma First OneTank uses a mix of sodium hypochlorite and sodium thiosulfate solution, with both chemicals being neutralised after use.
“We are very happy to be working with Damen on this project. We will support their client with our extensive knowledge of ballast water treatment systems wherever we can,” says Eleni Polychronopoulou, business development manager at Erma First.
“For owners working with workboats, superyachts and pontoons (smaller vessels) that are not dependent on frequent ballast operations, OneTank is a great solution,” concludes van Dam.
