Bawat finds JV partners for Freedom Ballast in the US

Danish ballast water management specialist Bawat, the US venture builder Green Swan Partners, and the US ballast water reception company Monstrant Viam have formed a joint venture company in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

The new JV, Freedom Ballast, will deploy port-side ballast water reception services in the US.

Freedom will be the exclusive US provider of ballast water reception facilities that utilize Bawat’s US Coast Guard-approved ballast water treatment system based on the principle of pasteurization.

It will integrate the Bawat technology along with other key equipment and systems that provide ballast water treatment-as-a-service (TaaS) to ships and vessels in various ports. The deployment will start in the Mississippi Delta in Louisiana, where an operating permit is pending.

“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,” Marcus Hummer, CEO of BAWAT, said.

“Bawat’s … 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.”

“Not all vessel owners will choose to install and operate ballast water treatment systems on board. 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 6 months,” Bill Burroughs, CEO of Monstrant Viam, commented.

“The U.S. is leading the world in enforcing ballast water discharge requirements. In particular, the lower Mississippi river region in Louisiana with its high traffic corridor has created the potential for high demand for these services. We are being approached for this service even before being fully deployed.”

“Ocean sustainability and preserving the delicate ecosystem around ports and waterways is critical. We want to provide the opportunity for all ship and vessel owners to not only meet a legally-required discharge mandate, but also gain business efficiencies as a result of not needing to carry and maintain on board ballast water solutions,” Chetan Chothani, CEO of Green Swan Partners, explained.

Freedom is already in discussions with additional US ports for deployment of ballast water reception services. These will be announced soon.