Danske Maritime and the Shipbuilding Information Center of China have signed an agreement to jointly work on ballast water treatment solutions as well as related shipbuilding issues.
The cooperation will be focused on developing technologies and solutions for ballast water treatment - both on-board newbuilds and for retrofitting vessels already in operation.
"It is worth pointing out that the Chinese have chosen the Danish maritime industry as the first in this kind of agreement. It proves that our industry is well-known, now also in this new technology area," Jenny N. Braat, Managing Director, Danske Maritime, commented.
He also said, "It is also the result of long-term and targeted efforts by the companies themselves and the Danish state, which signed a green ship agreement in February, which this new ballast water agreement is in line with."
Kim Diederichsen, CEO, Bawat, one of the members of Danske Maritime, added in this regard, "It is particularly positive that Danske Maritime is helping to pave the way for broader cooperation, thus improving access to a part of the market, which is difficult to access. We attended the Qingdao conference and obtained recognition from key organizations for the simplicity of Bawat's technology, including the use of surplus heat on board. We have thus taken the first steps towards a better relationship with these organizations, which we consider to be of great importance to the company."
The Shipbuilding Information Center of China is run by the Beijing-based China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation, one of the country's major shipyard groups.
The International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships' Ballast Water and Sediments (BWM) was adopted on February 13th, 2004, and went into force on September 8th, 2017. Under the Convention, all ships in international traffic are required to manage their ballast water and sediments to a certain standard, according to a ship-specific ballast water management plan. All vessels will also have to carry a ballast water record book and an international ballast water management certificate.
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