French-based maker Bio-Sea announced that the 72 meters long icebreaker of 2,600 tones, The Astrolabe, is equipped with one of its treatment systems, which is IMO type-approved and currently in process for acquiring the USCG type-approval.
The ship was baptized on July, 12th 2017, in Concarneau Piriou shipyards’ in attendance of Mrs Annick Girardin, the French overseas Minister. Astrolabe was built by Piriou shipyards from Concarneau and it is currenlty in Brest harbour for a month.
It is going to get new military equipments, carry out some tests and train the crew before leaving from mid-August towards the Reunion island and then, towards Australia from October, where it will carry out its 1st mission. This new polar logistic vessel will be armed by the French Navy and it will proceed to monitoring and protecting missions in the French EEZs in the Indian Ocean and in the Antartic Ocean from October 2017 to March 2018.
Bio-Sea will supply a Bio-Sea 90 ballast water treatment system. The company is said to have a close relationship with Piriou shipyards, therefore, it has already equiped many ships with its solutions. Its BWTS combines mechanical filtration and UV-C disinfection, without any chemical treatment, Bio-Sea said.
Furthermore, the Astrolabe is equipped with four IMO Tier III certified 8-cylinder Wärtsilä 20 diesel engines be fully compliant with the IMO Tier III exhaust emission regulations set out in Annex VI of the MARPOL 73/78 convention.
