Erma First Gets USCG Type Approval for Its BWTS

Erma First Greece-based manufacturer of ballast water treatment systems (BWTS) Erma First has received the United States Coast Guard (USCG) Type Approval for its full flow electrolysis BWTS. On October 18, the company became the first full flow electrolysis BWTS vendor worldwide that received the USCG approval, for which it filed an application in April 2017. The system was successfully tested at three water salinities in Morocco, Spain, Netherlands, France, New York and Savannah. The testing period lasted 30 months and finished in autumn 2016, the company earlier informed. The units used during the USCG Type Approval process have remained identical since we started. Moreover, no modifications were made to the units already delivered to clients nor will be made to those to follow, Helen Polychronopoulou, Business Development Manager of Erma First, said. With the Convention ratified and entered into force last September and the USCG BWM implementation in place, the installation of a ballast water treatment system is essential for the protection of the marine environment from invasive species. Erma First proves its leading position in the ballast water treatment industry both in the new building and retrofit markets, Konstantinos Stampedakis, Managing Director of Erma First, said. The USCG has approved systems from three companies so far. In early December 2016, the USCG awarded the first type approval certificate to Norwegian ballast water treatment (BWT) specialist Optimarin for its Optimarin Ballast System (OBS). Later that month, Swedish Alfa Laval Tumba AB and Norway-based OceanSaver AS received approval certificates from the USCG Marine Safety Center for their BWTSs.