Damen’s InvaSave mobile ballast water treatment system goes on tour ahead of IMO deadline

In less than five months, the IMO’s Ballast Water Convention will be extended to cover existing vessels as well as new builds. As of 8 September, all will be required to comply by the time of their first IOPP certificate renewal following that date. To assist vessel owners in meeting their obligations under the convention while at the same time offering port and harbour authorities a value-added service that they can offer to their clients, Damen Green Solutions will be taking its InvaSave 300 mobile ballast water treatment system on tour to demonstrate its convenience, effectiveness and cost efficiency.

The InvaSave 300 IMO-certified system is an external ballast water treatment unit that in a single pass uses mechanical filtration and ultraviolet radiation to remove and eradicate invasive organisms from ballast water as it is discharged from inbound vessels, to IMO-D2 standards. It can also provide ballast water of the same quality to outbound vessels. The entire system comes in a single, 40ft container and so is fully mobile; ideal for placing on a barge, workboat or trailer for easy movement around a port, harbour or shipyard.

“Its versatility extends way beyond its mobility, however,” says Damen Green’s Philip Rabe. “Who would have imagined, for example, that a port-based treatment system could serve the offshore industry?” “Consider FPSOs – they are at sea for years at a time and need ballast water exchange only very infrequently. Nonetheless, they are required to comply with the regulations. InvaSave provides a solution without the need for costly conversion – and without taking up valuable onboard storage space.

InvaSave service
The mobility of the InvaSave 300 has other advantages. With the InvaSave Service, Damen doesn’t only supply the InvaSave equipment to customers for treating ballast water. It goes to them and operates the system to demonstrate that the ballast water is treated in a certified and compliant manner. “We recognise that InvaSave is an innovative concept,” continues Philip Rabe, “and that, as well as the evidence of its effectiveness via certification and awards, operators may like to see its results first-hand before committing to its use. Therefore, we have taken it upon ourselves to prove the effectiveness of the product!”

The first public demonstrations of the InvaSave European tour will take place at the cruise terminal at the port of Lisbon on the 16th and 17th May, as part of the European Maritime Days event. On both days, visitors can visit the Damen Green stand in the exhibition area, attend talks and participate in live demonstrations, all hosted by Damen Green experts.

Damen Shipyards Group
Damen Shipyards Group operates 36 shipbuilding and repair yards, employing 12,000 people worldwide. Damen has delivered more than 6,500 vessels in more than 100 countries and delivers around 175 vessels annually to customers worldwide. Based on its unique, standardised ship-design concept Damen is able to guarantee consistent quality.

Damen’s focus on standardisation, modular construction and keeping vessels in stock leads to short delivery times, low ‘total cost of ownership’, high resale values and reliable performance. Furthermore, Damen vessels are based on thorough R&D and proven technology.

Damen offers a wide range of products, including tugs, workboats, naval and patrol vessels, high speed craft, cargo vessels, dredgers, vessels for the offshore industry, ferries, pontoons and superyachts.

For nearly all vessel types Damen offers a broad range of services, including maintenance, spare parts delivery, training and the transfer of (shipbuilding) know-how. Damen also offers a variety of marine components, such as nozzles, rudders, winches, anchors, anchor chains and steel works.

Damen Shiprepair & Conversion (DSC) has a worldwide network of eighteen repair and conversion yards of which twelve are located in North West Europe. Facilities at the yards include more than 50 floating (and covered) drydocks, including the longest, 420 x 80 metres, and the widest, 405 x 90 metres, as well as slopes, ship lifts and indoor halls. Projects range from the smallest simple repairs through Class’ maintenance to complex refits and the complete conversion of large offshore structures. DSC completes around 1,300 repair and maintenance jobs annually, both at yards as well as in ports and during voyage.