New venture aims to plug hole for US ballast water treatment

Danish-based ballast water technology specialist, Bawat, has teamed up with two US companies to offer vessel owners with outdated onboard ballast water treatment systems with a portside alternative when calling in US ports. 

Philadelphia-based venture builder, Green Swan Partners and the Texas-based ballast water reception company, Monstrant Viam, have inked a joint venture partnership, Freedom Ballast to respond to pent up demand from shipowners whose onboard equipment struggle to comply with strict regulations regarding the ballast water treatment in US ports. 

Related: Ballast water retrofits slip back as owners go for more time

Bill Burroughs, CEO of Monstrant Viam said the venture was responding to a need from many shipowners that have struggled to implement updates to their onboard ballast water treatment facilities to comply with strict US Coast Guard guidelines.

“Not all vessel owners will choose to install and operate ballast water treatment systems on board,” he said. “Amongst those that do, the systems may not be in compliance as evidenced by a recent study showing as many as 30%-50% of onboard systems go out of compliance within six months.” 

Related: Emra First acquires oneTANK for smallest ballast water treatment

Freedom Ballast will integrate Bawat ballast water treatment technology along with other key equipment and systems to provide ballast water treatment-as-a-service (TaaS) to ships and vessels starting on the lower Mississippi river region in Louisiana with plans to extend its operations across the country later this year.

“The Ballast Water Management Convention sponsored by the IMO is an international treaty established in 2004 that requires signatory flag states to ensure that ships comply with standards and procedures for  the management and control of ships’ ballast water in order to stop the spread of invasive aquatic species,” said Marcus Hummer, CEO of Bawat.

“Bawat’s unique technology allows Freedom to treat vessel ballast water fast and efficiently from shore side facilities, irrespective of the water quality. This  enables vessel owners and operators with an alternative to installing ballast water treatment on the vessel.”