Climate Investor Two has approved an investment that could amount to 24.5 million euro to support the lease of Damen’s portable ballast water treatment solution.
Climate Fund Managers signed a Development Funding Agreement of 2.8 million euro to finance the start of this project with Damen Financial Services.
The project regards the treatment of ballast water, which is taken on by vessels to offset unloaded cargo or waste, before being discharged at the ships next port of call. This discharge contains various viruses, bacteria, and other biological materials, including plants and animals collectively referred to as invasive species.
The release of non-native and nuisance species in ballast water has already caused ecological damage, with a knock-on effect on the economy and human health.
The Damen containerised ballast water treatment system offers a port-based solution to ships to treat their ballast water or wishing to supplement their treatment capabilities.
Jan Willem van Helden, managing director Damen Financial Services, commented on the occasion that this eco-friendly solution will be within reach of many more companies and governments in Africa, Asia, and Latin America.
With covid known to be active in sewage and the shipping industry having a bad record for sewage disposal along with a bad record of killing people with cholera correlated to ballast water, one has to wonder knowing that fecal bacteria is often found in ballast water are any extra tests or precautions being taken because of supply chain issues that are keeping ships bunched at our shores for long durations accumulating more and more raw sewage.