DHI has agreements with three independent laboratories that are recognized by U.S. Coast Guard for the evaluation of BWMS type approval tests: DNV GL, Lloyd’s Register and Korean Register. The collaboration with DNV GL and Lloyd’s Register has developed through many projects, while DHI has not yet conducted type approval testing together with Korean Register. Several manufacturers from China, Japan and Korea, however, have been testing their BWMS at DHI’s test facility in Denmark, and it is the ambition of DHI to continue and expand the dialogue with manufacturers in Asia.
The experienced team and flexible work processes are the reasons for the efficient BWMS type approval testing at DHI. The land-based test facility can accommodate up to six BWMS, and an extra 1,000 cubic meter source tank was established in 2019. The extra source tank increases the flexibility of DHI’s test facility even further, as Gitte I. Petersen, Head of Department, explains: “Many of our customers want to expand the testing programme to include an alternative filter or to verify the biological treatment efficacy, when the ballast water is discharged with the shortest possible holding time in the ballast water tanks – we have now even better possibilities to meet the needs of the manufacturers.” The commercial interest is that the treated ballast water complies with the regulations and preferably can be discharged directly after treatment by the BWMS – this means that the requirements to live organisms at discharge shall be fulfilled without the extra ‘help’ provided by the die-off during the storage in the ballast water tanks. The related BWMS type approval test concept is called ‘performance testing with reduced holding time’. DHI is ready to perform the testing to provide the required documentation to support the claim that the BWMS can treat ballast water with reduced holding time.
Commissioning testing of BWMS directly after the installation on board the ship is currently being requested by ship-owners to comply with IMO guidance and requirements by Singapore applicable for ships under Singapore flag. DHI performs commissioning tests of BWMS, and the DHI team in Singapore can easily reach ship-yards in China, where most of the commissioning testing will take place. The commissioning test shall verify that the BWMS treats the ballast water in accordance with the IMO D-2 standard. Meeting this requirement implies that representative sampling of treated ballast water and reliable, validated analyses of the concentrations of live organisms. DHI makes use of mobile laboratories and is well-prepared to perform commissioning tests of newly installed BWMS.