Ballast Water Treatment First for Great Lakes

Fednav has taken delivery of what it says is the first Great Lakes’ bulker to be fitted with a ballast water treatment system.

The Federal Biscay, an 34,500dwt ocean-going laker, will ship general cargo to the Great Lakes and bulk commodities, such as grain, from the Midwest to world markets.

Fednav, the largest international operator in the Great Lakes/Saint Lawrence Seaway System, announced in April that it would equip 12 of its new ships with systems from Japanese manufacturer JFE Engineeering. The 12 vessels are being built by Oshima shipyard in Japan.

The BallastAce system is expected to be effective in both fresh and salt water. The BallastAce system uses a filter and sodium hypochlorite (bleach) injection mechanism.

"This is a pivotal step in protecting the Great Lakes against invasive species and preserving biodiversity in the region," said Paul Pathy, president and co-CEO of Fednav Limited. "Fednav is proud to be the first shipping company to deploy such systems, and we are pleased that the Federal Biscay is serving as a test ship for this technology."

Fednav will start using BallastAce in the Great Lakes at the opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway in 2016. With the assistance of Fednav, BallastAce is continuing the necessary stages of its approval for fresh, brackish, and salt water by the U.S. Coast Guard, at the GSI facility in Superior, Wisconsin and at MERC in Baltimore, Maryland. During the first six months of 2016, the system installed on the Federal Biscay will also test under this certification.

Fednav chose the JFE solution after years of testing. From the Federal Yukon (copper ions) to the Federal Welland (electrodialytic disinfectant) to the Federal Venture (chlorination), the company has spent millions of dollars over many years to find a reliable, effective, and economical solution to the environmental problems caused by aquatic invasive species.