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Report

Teaser, summary, work performed and final results

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - XCell (A reliable, effective ballast water management system through unique in situ biocide production)

Teaser

Summary

TECHNICAL REPORT
1.1 PUBLISHABLE SUMMARY
The International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships\' Ballast Water and Sediments (BWM Convention) was adopted in 2004 to introduce global regulations to control the transfer of potentially invasive species. The BWM Convention entered into force on 8 September 2017.
On 7 July this year, the IMO (International Maritime Organisation) MEPC (Marine Environment Protection Committee) approved draft amendments to the Ballast Water Management Convention, setting out new deadlines for compliance with the D-2 discharge standard, which fixes the date by which ballast water treatment systems must be installed. These amendments effectively add two years to the global installation process, although certain requirements of the convention must still be complied with by 8 September 2017. In particular, the D-1 Standard covering ballast water exchange still requires compliance.
The D1 standard concerns ballast water exchange, which must be undertaken within open ocean areas, >200 nautical miles from land and in seas >200m deep.
The D2 standard covers approved ballast water treatment systems. All new build ships must meet the D2 (treatment) standard after entry into force, 8 September 2017.
For existing vessels, MEPC has decided that the phase-in period for ballast water system retrofits (D2) will start on 8 September 2019, and as a result, the date by which all ships must have a ballast water treatment system installed has been put back from 2022 to 2024. The IMO decision does not have any impact on the US Coast Guard (USCG) rules regarding ballast water treatment systems, which remain unchanged. For ships trading to the US, therefore, the urgency for BWT system retrofits remains.

The MEPC decision has been warmly welcomed by the shipping industry generally but condemned by equipment manufacturers and environmentalists.
The USCG legislation, which became effective in June 2012, applies to any ships planning to discharge ballast water in US waters, and comes with its own exchange or treatment operations as well as sediment management guidance.
A known, but not named Ballast Water system manufacturer/supplier has been in the BWMS business for 15 years and has only recently entered into profit in 2017
The report takes a detailed view of the Ballast Water market, it will show:
â€¢ Market Study - perform market analysis. Interaction with potential clients, identify specific needs of end users.
â€¢ Specific system analysis - generate minimum specifications for system configuration. This will include overall product size and weight for, minimum 50% of global fleet. Must have and would like to have features. Target cost of manufacture and sales price.
â€¢ Analysis of actions required for scale up - skills and actions required to successfully scale up existing process.
â€¢ IP Management
â€¢ Elaboration of Business plan

In addition, the report includes:
â€¢ Current discharge standards including timelines and variations between standards
â€¢ Market size, retrofit and new build
â€¢ The requirements of retrofit and new build ships
â€¢ The divisions between Regulatory Authorities, system manufacturers, shipbuilders and owners
â€¢ Decision makers, ship builders/ship owners
â€¢ The role of the Ballast Water Equipment Managers Association and others

Hydrus Hygiene Ltd manufactures a biocide, HydrusTM 75; it is a sodium hypochlorite product. HydrusTM 75 is currently being registered under Article 95 of the Biocide Product Regulations, (Regulation (EU) 528 2012), Hydrus Hygiene Limited are members of the Eurochlor manufacturing Group. The product has proven high efficacy, combined with low dose rates and significantly reduced contact times. Sodium Hypochlorite is manufactured by the combination of sodium hydroxide and chlorine, it is also manufactured by electrolysis (Electro-chlorination) with sodium chloride as the raw material. There are a range of Ballast Water Management Technologies currently

Work performed

HydrusTM 75, produced by the X Cell system, is a unique, chlorine based, biocide. It has a proven track record in hospital environments where it has shown high efficacy combined with low dose rates. HydrusTM 75, is manufactured as concentrate which can then be diluted down to its operating concentration. The concept of the X Cell system is to produce a fixed volume of solution but at increasing concentrations that can then be diluted in the actual ballast tanks, on board the vessel in question, to give the required biocide residual in the system. The work undertaken was designed to show that the system can, in the first instance, produce increased concentrations of solution, but also to establish the limit at which the system can operate.
We also carried out a market analysis, contacting potential end users to understand their requirements and attitudes to the Ballast Water Regulations.

Final results

The transfer of invasive species, via the discharge of ballast water from vessels, has been described as the second most important issue facing the planet, after global warming. It has been shown that current technologies are not as effective as initially thought, a \'technical market exists for systems that meet the varying standards and changing timescales for new build and retrofit requirements. Our test work has shown that the Hydrus X Cell system can be a one size fits all solution eliminating the need for precious space to be taken up on board a vessel; the unit is robust enough to manufacture increasing concentrations of biocide. However, there is a clear distinction, in time scales, for the new build market as opposed to the retrofit markets, the deadline for retrofitting vessels has been moved once and is expected to move once more, making entry into this market extremely difficult. The new build market has limited opportunities. The X Cell system appears to meet both socio and economic requirements but will have zero impact as it will not progress past the design and testing phase.