Oldendorff Carriers Opts for Erma First BWMS

Germany’s dry bulk shipowner Oldendorff Carriers has teamed up with Greek manufacturer of ballast water treatment systems Erma First to make its ships compliant with the International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships’ Ballast Water and Sediments.

The convention entered into force on September 8, 2017 and aims to halt the spread of invasive aquatic species, which can impact local ecosystems, affecting biodiversity.

According to the IMO’s implementation schedule, ships constructed after September 8, 2017 must comply on delivery, while existing ships in general must comply by the first International Oil Pollution Prevention Certificate (IOPP Certificate) renewal after September 8, 2019.

Erma First BWTS Fit is USCG type approved and IMO approved for nearly all water types.

“Their BWTS is simple, flexible, and suitable for small and large ballast-pump capacities. It also has a small footprint and a low power consumption,” Oldendorff said.

“We have had an internal task force working on BWTS for two years, during this time we have thoroughly investigated many systems, particularly those with US Coast Guard approval. We were very impressed with the professionalism of ERMA FIRST and are very pleased to partner with them on the BWTS project,” Niklas Richter, Project Manager of the Oldendorff Carriers Green Ships Department commented.

“Although the fitting of BWTS is not yet compulsory, we plan to fit a trial Erma First system in July 2018 and start fitting many of our owned vessels in 2019 to have time to train and implement the system before vessels are required to comply with the regulations.”