Port innovation award for Damen BWT system

It is designed to provide ports with a solution for incoming vessels that either do not have their own onboard BWT systems or have suffered some sort of system failure.

With InvaSave technology, the ballast water only needs treating at the point of discharge, in contrast to most fixed onboard installations that also need to treat at intake.

The judges said: “InvaSave’ addresses a long neglected problem, where Damen saw a clear niche in the market. Ballast Water Treatment Systems will be mandatory from next year, but not all vessels will be ready – so having a portside unit that virtually any vessel can plug into, or having one on board, is a perfect, innovative solution.”

InvaSave system can be supplied as a self-sufficient unit within a container. This can then be mounted on a barge or other platform so as to move around the harbour, multiple units can be mounted in parallel to increase capacity.

Matthijs Schuiten, product manager within Damen Green Solutions BV, said: “We are delighted to have won this prestigous award.”

He concluded: “The timing could not be better with the IMO Water Ballast Management Convention now coming into force in September 2017.”

“We believe that the Damen InvaSave will have an important role to play in the battle against invasive marine organisms and the damage they can do in waters that do not have the natural mechanisms to cope with them.”

The awards took place on 10 November in London, with Damen InvaSave competing with four other finalists in its category to take the award.