The first approved BWTS were introduced to the Shipping Industry back in 2009.
In 2016, 60 BWTS vendors were active in the market, many of which, surprisingly, do not appear to be in operation nowadays.
FACTORS FOR CHOOSING A BWTS VENDOR
Initially, PANASIA clients would either look for a BWTS solution which would fit perfectly into their decision-making categories or they would focus on disinfection technology. At that same time, there was a «try and error» process in action, both for vendors and clients.
Taking a closer look to what has happened in the past ten years as far as BWTS are concerned, not that many things have changed in terms of disinfection technologies such as UV, Electrolysis, Chemical dosage and Ozone. These technologies are still dominating the market, but in PANASIA we have noticed that the clients’ decision-making categories have shifted. Following extensive research and analysis in these ten years however, we have reached to the conclusion that technological advancement is no longer the main factor for choosing a BWTS vendor. Clients nowadays have become more practical and have shifted their main interest from the equipment itself, to other factors, such as the support that they can get from their vendors. This support includes the overall standards of service provided, as well as spare parts availability, engineering capability and stuff training.
In PANASIA we have found what matters to our clients the most, is the depth, the extend and the quality of the support they can get from us as their vendor.
STEPS IN EMPLOYING BALLAST WATER TREATMENT SYSTEMS
When a company selects the correct BWTS for its fleet or vessel, the first step is to decide who has the knowledge, experience and ability to implement the BWTS project promptly and efficiently: the company itself or the engineering company is collaborating with.
One thing we have noticed at PANASIA is that due to high demand, an engineering company would try to recruit designers or engineers to meet its promise to its clients; Unfortunately, the skills that this stuff would need to acquire are not gained within a day or a week; therefore, the shipping company and/or its collaborative agents will, at the end of the day, have to deal with less experienced engineers who take more time and more energy to implement a BWTS project.
Following the choice of the engineering company, the next step is to proceed with the actual BWTS retrofit, a less complicated, compared to a scrubber installation, process, which requires however to be equally cautious in certain aspects. Companies, for example, should always check very carefully the drawings provided by the engineering company. If there is a team to lead the whole process is totally fine but if there is not, at PANASIA we advise companies to ask the vendor or the engineering company to supervise. By doing so, the shipping company will surely enjoy certain key benefits, including instant technical support and consulting remedies, within the limited time schedule.
After the above, the next steps are commissioning and training; The commissioning will not raise any problems. The training however is a stage that requires greater attention.
At PANASIA, we always emphasize on the importance of proper training to our clients. The training is often arranged during the commissioning due to convenience, although it is not that practical for the crews. There are mainly three reasons for this:
There is a Lot of work to be done during docking, so the crews are not concentrated
Time and schedule are limited
The environment is not suitable for training during docking.
We often find that everyone in the industry agrees that training is essential but not everyone manages to offer a proper training to its crew. Vendors with high standards, such as PANASIA, can offer various training choices.
CHALLENGES FOR RETROFIT PROJECTS
3D SCANNING:
One major challenge is finding the schedule and location where one can properly scan a vessel, especially tankers. The need to bring any vessel in a gas-free environment in the presence of a surveyor who will approve scanning of the vessel is also a challenge. The entire process requires a great amount of time and preparation to attend the vessel. It is critical for proper coordination and communication with the shipowner, engineering or anyone involved in the process.
ENGINEERING:
CASE 1: If a project is entirely completed by PANASIA in-house is generally an easy and smooth project. However, that option is not always the case. With limited time post-scanning, designers creating 2D drawings, as well as cooperating with an external engineering company to create 3D models, requires an additional amount of time and effort often overlooked.
CASE 2: If PANASIA does not handle the engineering, it will need to be heavily involved and will need to critically keep the communication lines open with the partnering engineering firm. To create approval drawings, the need to know the filter orientation and finalizing revised P&ID will be timely, however PANASIA will remain active to keep projects on time.
CASE 3: Having available materials in proper location and in timely manner at the time of dry-docking is always critical. In some cases, materials are unavailable locally. In these cases, the client needs to advise the engineering company for suitable dry dock locations, to minimize logistics.
CREW TRAINING:
PANASIA provides three training options to clients
ON-SITE TRAINING: Primarily during commissioning or by special request, PANASIA will attend a vessel and carry out training to interested parties. Depending on the needs, one or more engineer will be posted.
COMPUTER BASED TRAINING (CBT) PROGRAM: Easy access to training crew members through computer lessons, at their own time and convenience.
TRAINING CENTER(S): PANASIA currently hosts 5 fully functional Training Centers, worldwide: Korea, The Philippines and Greece, run for PANASIA by BPCO LTD, Estonia and the US.
All five PANASIA Training Centers provide detailed simulating operation, equipment and troubleshooting of the entire system. Given the crew’s time availability, the courses offer a comprehensive, in-depth view, covering entirely every aspect of the system, through a straightforward and practical training.
The qualified instructors hold a computer-based training program which addresses every aspect of BWTS and additionally offer anything, which can help the crew to understand the system better.
The Training Courses are suitable for all Crew Members and Senior Technical Stuff of Shipping Companies. The duration of each Training Session is 2 days. The 1st day covers theoretical aspects and the 2nd day is a full, ‘’hands-on’’ practical course. An Attendance Certification is issued upon successful completion of the Training Course.
INTERESTING FACTS REGARDING PANASIA BWTS
PANASIA's BWTS branded GloEn-Patrol, is a Filtration and UV Light technology that has been delivered to more than 1,000 ships worldwide.
The very first order that PANASIA received was back in 2010
For almost a decade, PANASIA has successfully provided one of the most able systems to clients looking for the best solution to comply with any strictly regulated operating area worldwide.
Amongst their orders, PANASIA has retrofitted 96 various vessels across the globe.
CONSLUSION
Based on our extensive expertise and specialized knowledge, at PANASIA we strongly believe that 2019 is undeniably the right time to focus on selecting the most capable and professional vendor, which will be responsible for operating and managing efficiently and successfully the BWTS in any vessel.
BPCO LTD is the Exclusive Agent of Panasia
* Manager, Panasia Europe