Navigator Gusto got Ballast Water Treatment system at Remontowa

Ballast water treatment (BWT) system installation has not been the only significant item in specification of the Navigator Gusto gas carrier’s repairs and upgrade during recent class renewal yard stay.

Until March 2013, the ship had been operated by Maersk under Maersk Gusto name and wearing a “Maersk blue” livery, which remained on the ship’s sides until recent arrival at Remontowa. However, the gas carrier left the yard in the dark orange livery and with a new funnel mark representing the new owner.

Already in the eighties, a serious danger for the maritime environment, building up through global transfer of ballast tanks water which includes marine species (i.a.: bacteria, microbes) was discovered and first investigated by shipping industry related research establishments.

After more than 14 years of complex negotiations between IMO Member States, the  International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships’ Ballast Water and Sediments (BWM Convention) was adopted on 13 February 2004. Ballast Water Treatment is effected in various ways and with diversified technologies applied. These include: chemical disinfection, ozonation, the removal of oxygen, filtration, etc.

Remontowa SA has already carried out 10 installations of BWT systems onboard ships. The Navigator Gusto has had a new, compact system from Trojan Marinex installed, utilising filtration and UV radiation.

Navigator Gusto is a LPG tanker, built in 2011, 154.3 m long, 25.2 m wide, drafting 6.4 m and featuring deadweight capacity of 16 687 ton. The Liberian flagged, Monrovia registered ship has arrived at Remontowa SA from Dutch port of Terneuzen.

Navigator Gas Shipmanagement has not been hit by recent crisis in freight rates on the shipping market. What is more, Navigator Gas strengthens its fleet.

– Currently we own 30 vessels, all being gas carriers. Until the end of this year there will be 38 of them, as eight units, under construction now, will be delivered and added to our fleet from Chinese and Korean yards. We operate a few 15 years old ships, but most vessels in our fleet are not older than 5 up to 8 years – Piotr Hinz, senior superintendent of Navigator Gas explains.

Polish ship management division of Navigator Gas currently manages four ships, with much more to be added soon.

PBS