The Edenborg, Jade, Westborg and Merel V have arrived at shipyard Royal Niestern Sander in the Port of Delfzijl, the Netherlands. All four general cargo ships will have ballast water management systems installed.
In 2017, the Ballast Water Management Convention came into force, which applies to all seagoing vessels that carry ballast water. It requires these vessels to be equipped with a ballast water treatment system. The Convention has had far-reaching consequences for shipping companies such as Wagenborg, which has a fleet of some 170+ vessels.
The shipping company already started using ballast water treatment systems in 2013. Since then, the number of installations has been increased by about twenty a year. In 2024 it is expected every ship in the fleet will have one.
The installation of a ballast water management system takes lots of preparation. An engine room isn’t normally designed with space for a ballast water treatment system. Since the system consists of several large components connected by various pipes, it takes up quite a bit of room. The installation on board Wagenborg vessels is carried out in close cooperation between the Wagenborg fleet management department, projects & newbuilding department and the shipyard to limit idle time for the vessels as much as possible.
