UK-based Coldharbour Marine, which manufactures ballast water treatment (BWT) systems based on unique inert gas technology, said that it had signed a contract with Lloyd’s Register to oversee the complete range of tests required by the US Coast Guard (USCG) in its type approval process.
Lloyd’s Register has Independent Laboratory Approval from the USCG and will work closely in the type approval tests with Marine Eco Analytics (MEA), a test laboratory in the Netherlands. Revised and more comprehensive G8 tests agreed by the IMO’s Marine Environment Protection Committee at its 70th meeting in November 2016 will be undertaken at the same time. Coldharbour Marine CEO Andrew Marshall said that the company had been fully committed to undertaking US type approval tests as soon as possible. “We were extremely impressed with the type approval process conducted jointly with Lloyd’s Register and the UK’s Maritime and Coastguard Agency when we undertook the original tests required for IMO approval,” said Marshall. “These were carried out with the utmost diligence at MEA in the Netherlands for which we have the highest regard. MEA now has suitable accreditation from the USCG so we can proceed with the USCG testing protocols.”
Marshall said that MEA had originally been identified as a facility of choice because its location provides a ready supply of sea water from the North Sea and brackish water from the Wadden Sea. This, he said, guaranteed that tests would cover all types of water which ships could encounter. A second key reason for choosing MEA was that the facility carries out its tests using natural water collected by barges, meaning that samples contain natural fauna and flora rather than seeded or farmed organisms, which often have different survivability characteristics.
Lloyd’s Register will act as test supervisor on behalf of the USCG and will oversee every process. Lloyd’s Register’s Flans Kemp, Type Approval Business Development Manager, Marine & Offshore, said: “Lloyd’s Register is delighted to be working with Coldharbour Marine to oversee the testing required by the US Coast Guard’s type approval process and revised IMO requirements.
This work will build on the knowledge from the initial IMO type approval and Lloyd’s Register has every confidence that the system will pass the robust testing procedures once again.” To complete the testing team, Coldharbour has engaged the services of two highly experienced independent advisors, Jon Stewart and Gary Croot of US-based International Maritime Technology Consultants, who have been hired by Coldharbour Marine to provide insight and guidance specifically on the USCG type approval process.