While the international ballast water management convention has been implemented to prevent the spread of potentially harmful aquatic organisms via ballast water from vessels in international traffic, there are no such regulations for ships only commuting between Norwegian waters and the open sea.
Austevoll-based shipowner Hordafor’s commercial vessel Hordafor IV sails exclusively in domestic Norwegian waters, but shipowner Hordafor has nevertheless chosen to order a ballast water treatment system from Norwegian company PG Flow Solutions, a specialist in liquid handling and pump systems for marine applications.
“We want to be a leader within biosafety and do what we can to optimise both marine and fish health on behalf of our clients. If treatment of ballast water can contribute towards improved biosecurity along the Norwegian coastline, it will be a good investment in both the environment and our business,” says Hordafor’s fleet manager Karsten Østervold.
Hordafor is a leading player within handling and processing of by-products from the Norwegian aquaculture and fisheries industries. The shipowner has its own vessels for shipping by-product and finished products such as marine oils and proteins.
The Hordafor IV vessel is utilised to collect silage from by-products from the aquaculture industry. With a ballast water treatment system, the vessel can now also sail in international waters.
“We have six such vessels, and they all sail along the Norwegian coast. We installed a ballast water treatment system on board one of the ships to evaluate the positive effects it can create. Biosecurity is important to us, which is why we invested a seven-figure sum in this,” said Karsten Østervold.
PG Flow Solutions has been contracted to supply its IMO-approved PG-Hyde ballast water treatment system to Hordafor IV. The system is based on UV-technology in combination with automatic, self-cleaning filters. The PG-Hyde treatment system sterilises the ballast water during both ballasting and de-ballasting.
“Ballast water systems regulate the intake, discharge and treatment of ballast water and sediments, and is therefore an important environmental measure to prevent the spread of foreign species through ballast water from vessels that sail in international waters. The fact that Hordafor, for biosecurity reasons, wants to explore and apply the same mindset to a vessel that sails along the Norwegian coastline is a great initiative. We are a proud supplier to Hordafor,” said PG Flow Solutions’ sales manager Are Hjertvik.
PG Flow Solutions is a provider of proprietary solutions, systems and products for companies within the energy, maritime, aquaculture and land-based process industries. The heritage of the business is pumps and pumping systems. The company’s headquarters and manufacturing facility is located in Sande, Vestfold, Norway. Its subsidiary Calder Ltd operates out of a similar facility in Worcester outside Birmingham, UK, while subsidiary Cflow Fish Handling AS operates out of Aalesund, Norway.
