50 vessels of Sovcomflot will be equipped with ballast water treatment systems by the end of 2017 (photo)

PAO Sovcomflot started preparing for compliance with the Ballast Water Management Convention (BWMC 2004) well in advance (BWMC 2004 enters into force on September 8, 2017). As Aleksandr Sokolov, Head of Sovcomflot’s Department for Technical Policy and Fleet Construction, said at the Conference “Implementation of the BWMC in Russia”  organized by  Media Group PortNews with the assistance of the Russian Ministry of Transport, PAO Sovcomflot is going to have 50 of its vessels equipped with ballast water treatment systems by the end of 2017. 

“Last year, ballast water treatment systems were installed on 13 vessels operated by the company. This year we are going to equip 18 more vessels. The vessels under construction will be fitted with ballast water treatment systems during the construction. The number of such vessels in the company’s fleet has reached 19”, said Sovcomflot representative. 

According to him, the company is going to have all its vessels equipped with BWTS by 2023.

“The process of fitting such systems takes certain time and requires some efforts in engineering, procurement, selection of a shipyard where this work is to be performed and the installation of the ballast equipment”, explained Aleksandr Sokolov.
 
SCF Group (PAO Sovcomflot) is Russia’s largest shipping company and a world leader in the maritime transportation of hydrocarbons as well as the servicing and support of offshore oil & gas production. The company’s fleet numbers 145 vessels with a combined deadweight of over 13 million tonnes. SCF Group specialises in the shipping of crude oil, liquefied gas and a wide range of oil products. The Group’s vessels perform complex towing operations and geophysical survey work at offshore oil & gas fields. Sovcomflot supports large-scale offshore energy projects in Russia and overseas, including: Sakhalin-I, Sakhalin-II, Varandey, Tangguh, Peregrino, Prirazlomnoye, Noviy Port, Yamal LNG and others. SCF Group employs over 9,300 personnel both on land and at sea. The company is registered in Saint-Petersburg and has representative offices in Moscow, Novorossiysk, Murmansk, Vladivostok, Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, London, Limassol, Madrid, Singapore and Dubai.