Damen opts for world’s smallest BWTS

Dutch shipbuilder Damen has signed its first contact with Greek ballast water treatment systems manufacturer Erma First.

As informed, Erma First will be supplying oneTANK, the world’s smallest ballast water treatment system (BWTS).

oneTANK uses chemical injection methods to clean ships’ ballast water and therefore represents an important expansion of Damen’s ballast water treatment system portfolio, according to the Dutch company.

The contract also marks a key milestone in the cooperation between Damen and the Greek maritime supply sector.

Damen Green Solutions has a broad selection of ballast water treatment systems in its range. These offer shipowners various capacities and techniques in treating their ballast water. With the addition of Erma First’s oneTANK, Damen 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 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.

Small but effective

“Our client needed a temporary ballast water treatment solution for quite an old vessel,” explained Damen sales manager Rutger van Dam.

“Erma First’s oneTANK is small enough to be housed in a twenty-foot container. 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.”

The contract is important to Damen because it broadens the scope of ballast water treatment products that it can offer its clients.

To treat a vessel’s ballast water, the fully-certified Erma First oneTANK uses an 8.25% or 12.5% sodium hypochlorite and 30% sodium thiosulfate solution, with both chemicals being neutralised after use.

“For owners working with workboats, superyachts and pontoons (smaller vessels) that are not dependent on frequent ballast operations, oneTANK is a great solution,” continues Van Dam.

Cooperation with the Greek maritime industry

“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 Erma First Business Development Manager and president of HEMEXPO Eleni Polychronopoulou.

The fact that Erma First is a Greek company is another significant aspect of the contract.

Throughout the world, Damen has been involved ‘national ship building’ projects that have combined Damen’s own shipbuilding expertise with the capabilities of local industries and workforce.

“We don’t just build ships in our own yards – we can also help our clients build their vessels in the yard of their choice in collaboration with its local industry,” says Damen’s Industrial Participation Manager, Marijke Winiarski.

“Contracts like this with Erma First are exemplary of Damen’s approach towards the involvement of local industries in our projects, paving the way for local companies to benefit from Damen’s international opportunities, whilst simultaneously helping Damen to develop new partnerships, such as this one with Erma First.”