First ballast water treatment system in Finland installed in Ms Pasila

Aspo Plc, Press Release, September 1, 2010 at 14:00

The dry bulk carrier Ms Pasila, owned by ESL Shipping, a part of the Aspo Group, has been fitted with the first ballast water treatment system in Finland. The cleaning system is used to stop harmful organisms from moving from one sea area to another. The CrystalBallast system installed in the ship has been developed by the Turku-based Auramarine Ltd, a manufacturer of fuel supply systems for ships. Auramarine is a subsidiary of Hollming Group.

ESL Shipping's Ms Pasila is the first Finnish ship to have a ballast water cleaning system installed. The CrystalBallast system, developed and installed by Auramarine Ltd, a manufacturer of fuel supply systems operating in Turku, prevents alien species from being transferred from one sea area to another, and is necessary when a ship sails between the Baltic Sea and other areas.

"Alien species moving from one sea to another pose a serious threat to the environment. By installing a ballast water cleaning system in Ms Pasila, we do our part in protecting the environment and the health of our seas," says Markus Karjalainen, President of ESL Shipping.

Efficient filtering and UV treatment protect the wellbeing of the Baltic Sea

For instance, the American comb jelly has been spreading widely in the Baltic Sea in the past few years, and is destroying the natural ecosystem of the Baltic Sea.

"The mechanical principle of the system is based on the simultaneous filtering and UV treatment of the ballast water. The UV technology is not only efficient but also safe, and unlike other suppliers' systems, it does not, for instance, use any hazardous chemicals," says Heikki Saaros, Managing Director of Auramarine.

ESL Shipping continues installing ballast water systems in its ships

A ballast water cleaning system is a necessity when trading between different environmental areas, and the International Maritime Organization, IMO, has taken an active stance on the issue. According to a new regulation advocated by IMO, comparable systems should be installed in up to 30,000-40,000 ships worldwide during the next 10 years.

"This would mean an overall market of several billion euros and a significant employment increase for the companies in the industry, which is of course a very positive thing for our business," comments Saaros.

"ESL Shipping also intends to continue installing ballast water cleaning systems in its fleet," confirms Karjalainen.

The IMO regulations are currently being ratified. The new regulations become binding when enough many states, or states representing at least 35 per cent of the world's tonnage, have signed the agreement. The agreement is estimated to come into force in phases starting in 2013.

Within the same sea area, the organism base is the same, and the cleaning system is not necessary.

ESL Shipping, part of Aspo Group, transports dry bulk cargoes, mainly in the Baltic Sea region; approximately 11 million tons in 2009. The steel industry's share of transports was 53 percent, and the energy industry represented 43 percent. The shipping company's fleet consists of 17 vessels, of which it owns 14 in full. Two are leased and one is partially owned. The total dead weight tonnage of the vessels is approximately 200,000 tons. In addition, a vessel of 20,000 dwt ordered from India will be ready in the fall 2010. The two 56,150 dwt supramax vessels ordered from Korea are scheduled to be in traffic in the first half of 2012.

Auramarine is the world's leading supplier of auxiliary equipment for large diesel engines and marine industry. Auramarine products are designed and manufactured to suit all major diesel engines available as marine power sources today. Another customer segment of the company is the diesel based power station industry worldwide. The total number of skid mounted auxiliary units produced by Auramarine has exceeded 10,000 since their production began over three decades ago.

Source: ASPO Plc