Manufacturer aims for 5% share of lucrative industry

29th March 2013

By: Gia Costella

  

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The renewal of Cape Town water-treatment systems manufacturer Resource Ballast Technologies’ (RBT’s) Type Approval Certificate for its ballast water-treatment system could allow the company to benefit from what is potentially a $34-billion worldwide ballast water-treatment industry.

The company, which aims to achieve at least a 5% market share in future, received the renewed certificate in January from the South African Maritime Safety Authority.

The renewal comes as the global shipping industry is waiting for the International Maritime Organisation’s (IMO’s) International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships’ Ballast Water and Sediments requirements come into effect.

IMO adopted the convention in 2004 and it will enter into force 12 months after it has been ratified by 30 States representing 35% of the world’s merchant shipping tonnage.

The aim of the convention is to prevent, reduce and eliminate the transfer of harmful aquatic organisms and pathogens through the control and management of ships’ ballast water and sediments, which would make the installation of treatment systems compulsory.

“Ship ballast water comprises various biological material, including plants, animals, viruses and bacteria, as well as other organisms that are potentially dangerous for marine environments and ecological systems.

“These species are causing enormous damage to biodiversity and the natural environment in the ocean, impacting directly and indirectly on the health of humans. “The threats are becoming increasingly serious and damage to the environment is often irreversible.

“Consequently, the spread of invasive species is now recognised internationally as one of the greatest threats to the ecological and economic wellbeing of the planet,” says RBT CEO Bernard Jacobs.

Once the requirements of the IMO convention are imple- mented, they will directly affect 66 000 currently registered vessels and the 2 500 new vessels being built every year.

Jacobs says there is a strong possibility that this could happen in 2014, as several countries are preparing the requisite national legislation to give effect to the convention.

He highlights that few companies worldwide are able to comply with the IMO’s G8 guidelines for certification.

“Three types of authorisations need to be endorsed by the IMO – basic, final and type approval – and we have received all of these authorisations to meet G8 and G9 standards,” he says, adding that RBT is also applying for additional approval from classification society Det Norske Veritas (DNV) to ensure that its ballast water-treatment system exceeds the minimum standards required by the industry.

The RBT ballast water-treatment system combines cavitation, sterilisation and filtration, which allows it to handle diverse water conditions, like high turbidity, in the full salinity range, from river to ocean water. It is fitted by removing a section of pipe leading to the ballast tank and attaching the appropriate reactor section. This uses limited space and simplifies installation, particularly when retrofitting existing ships, adds Jacobs.

“Other key components are the filter and electrical control and boxes, which are manageable in size and easy to install. The system uses little power, as it relies mainly on the combination of cavitation, ozone sodium hypochlorite and filtration, which has proved that the system is capable of meeting ballast-water discharge standards.

“The secondary treatment technologies are produced in situ and do not require the storage and handling of additional chemicals or additives. The system’s limited use of active chemical substances is the reason it passes the IMO G9 approval process,” he explains.

Jacobs notes that the quantity of active and related chemicals created, including trihalo-methanes and bromoforms, are low and within the limits allowed for potable water.

“Chlorine and ozone levels are kept within the limits, as required by manufacturers and suppliers of tank coatings, and will not impose stress on the pipework or system of the tank. This removes the need for any additional process to condition or remove the chemicals, contributing towards low operational costs.

“Further, waste streams are limited to the stream from the cleaning of the automatic self-cleaning filter screen. This stream is discharged directly back into the port or location from where the ballast water is being taken on board, thereby ensuring that any filtered organisms and contamination will remain in the water of the area of origin and are not transported to other destinations,” he points out.

Jacobs adds that the company intends to test the system in as many different water conditions as possible, mitigating any concerns that the industry may have regarding the system’s ability to work beyond the IMO standards.

“We have tested the system in salt water and brackish water, with satisfying results. A mobile system is currently under construction and will be tested in a freshwater dam in the Western Cape,” he says.

RBT has also joined forces with Western Cape subsea equipment maker Unique Hydra to further upgrade the treatment system, which entails using the cavitational forces, and sterilisation by ozone, sodium hypochlorite and filtration.

Jacobs says the RBT system has several advantages.

“An ultraviolet system treating 1 000 m3 of water an hour consumes 120 kW an hour on average, while our system, treating the same amount of water, uses only 7 kW to 10 kW.

“The RBT system is specifically designed for ballast water treatment, while other systems on the market were adapted. The system also has a smaller physical footprint, compared with that of others, which makes it suitable for retrofitting,” he says.

After severing ties with its previous global partners, RBT is identifying a new partner to help market the ballast water-treatment system worldwide.

The company’s potential was highlighted in 2010, when it was awarded the Global Entrepreneurial Company of the Year Award in the Ballast Water Treatment Systems Market by business research consultancy firm Frost & Sullivan. The award is presented to a company that excels in growth strategy, growth imple- mentation, the degree of innovation with products and tech- nologies, leadership in customer value and speed of response. RBT was established in 2006, securing equity finance from the Southern African Intellectual Property Fund, a venture capital fund that invests in South African high-tech companies with proprietary technologies that have global mass market potential.

Edited by Tracy Hancock
Creamer Media Contributing Editor

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