BWMS provider DHI announced it will re-arrange the activities related to type approval of ballast water management systems from 1st March 2018 onwards. Shipboard testing will continue be performed by DHI Singapore and DHI Denmark, but land-based testing of BWMS will continue only at DHI’s land-based test facility in Denmark.
As the company explained, the land-based testing requirements in the regulations pose an increasing challenge to successful type approval testing in tropical environments, which is further affected by the challenging local biological conditions in Singapore waters. The requirement for the density of living organisms in the size class 10-50 µm in the challenge water is difficult to fulfill in Singapore, as the dominating organisms in the local waters are smaller than 10 µm in the minimum dimension. The preparation of the challenge water, therefore, requires the addition of standard test organisms cultured in the laboratory with a substantial work effort.
Furthermore, the constant temperature around 30˚C is limiting the survival of the organisms in the untreated control in the type approval tests with the result that the requests for longer holding times than 48 hours in type approval tests cannot be met at the test facility in Singapore.
“DHI Singapore has therefore decided to continue with shipboard testing, finalize the ongoing land-based testing projects and close the land-based test facility after all land-based tests have been successfully completed,” said the company in an official statement.
It will most likely delay the overall Type Approval process for the industry for both USCG and revised IMO G8. A lesser number of Type Approved BWM systems will be available on market.
It will most likely delay the overall Type Approval process for the industry for both USCG and revised IMO G8. A lesser number of Type Approved BWM systems will be available on market.