Press Releases

2014

April 25, 2014

Kurita Ballast Water Management System Receives Basic Approval from the IMO
— Chemical Treatment Ensures Elimination of Harmful Aquatic Organisms —
— Simple Equipment Configuration Facilitates Its Installation —

Kurita Water Industries Ltd. (Head Office: Nakano-ku, Tokyo; President: Toshiyuki Nakai) is pleased to announce that ballast water management system received basic approval form the International Maritime Organization (hereafter, "IMO"*1) at the 66th Session of Maritime Environmental Protection Committee held March 31 to April 4 under the "Procedure for approval of ballast water management systems that make use of Active Substances (G9)*2."

There has been a concern over the negative impact on the marine environment caused by the transfer of aquatic organisms, such as planktons and bacteria, contained in ships’ ballast water used to ensure stability of the ships, to new sea areas. In response, the Ballast Water Management Convention has been adopted.
To address this issue, Kurita has been working on the development of a ballast water management system by making use of its comprehensive technologies and knowledge of water treatment facilities, chemicals, and analysis, which have been developed through the operation of its water and wastewater treatment businesses. The system that has received the basic approval does not filter the ballast water but only uses water treatment chemicals to eliminate aquatic organisms (in the ballasting process), and neutralizes the ballast water (in the de-ballasting process). The system is definitely ready to treat a diverse quality of water around the world. All the user needs to do is to adjust the amount of water treatment chemicals to be applied. The adjustment also ensures that the system will respond to future tightening of regulations. What is more, the equipment configuration is simple and permits flexible layout, so the system can be retrofitted without large-scale reconstruction work. Notably, it can be installed during a regular inspection of a ship in service.

Kurita aims to receive the Final Approval from IMO and Type Approval *3 within this fiscal year. It will start selling the product by building a global system for providing services related to chemicals, facilities, and maintenance of the ballast water treatment system.

  • *1IMO is the United Nations specialized agency that is responsible for promoting international cooperation related to maritime affairs, including the safety and security of shipping and the prevention of marine pollution by ships.
  • *2This is a procedure for approval of application of ballast water management systems that make use of Active Substances. It is aimed at ensuring that the ballast water management system does not pose a risk to the safety of ships, human health, or the aquatic environment.
  • *3It is stipulated that a ballast water treatment system should receive the Basic Approval and Final Approval from IMO in accordance with the "Procedure for approval of ballast water management systems that make use of Active Substances (G9)" and Type Approval from the Administration of each country in accordance with the "Guidelines for approval of ballast water management systems (G8)."