The system will minimize the transfer of harmful and unwanted aquatic organisms and pathogens in ballast water.
Under the International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships Ballast Water and Sediments 2004, BWT systems are expected to be ratified as a requirement for newbuildings and the current sailing fleet from 2010. This market is estimated as potentially running into thousands of installations and by this transaction, WMS is positioning itself to obtain a substantial market share.
As a leading world wide supplier of marine services and products, including eco- friendly solutions to reduce the harmful emissions and waste from ships, WMS has a keen interest in offering their customers a comprehensive and effective solution for the treatment of ballast water. During the evaluation process of the various systems available, it became clear that RBT system is an industry leader and satisfied all WMS’s key criteria of minimal footprint, low power consumption, easy operation and installation, treatment results and simple technology.
Components of the RBT system will be manufactured and assembled by WMS or mutually approved suppliers. The complete customized system, ready for installation, will be sold, distributed and serviced through WMS worldwide network.
“The license agreement with RBT is a great addition to the environmentally friendly products that we already offer,” says Dag Schjerven, President and CEO of WMS. “The BWT system is highly inventive, believed to be the best and simplest in its class and will enable WMS to offer its customers an easy to install and functional product,” continues Schjerven.
RBT has developed an advanced BWT system based on the use of cavitational forces, sterilization by ozone, sodium hypochlorite and filtration. The system has been tested with excellent results in RBT’s full scale testing facility in Cape Town, and RBT has obtained IMO Basic Approval. As part of the process to be granted full IMO certification, the system will undergo sea trials onboard the Wilhelmsen ship m/v Toronto from June 2008.
“We are delighted to have signed the license agreement and to have teamed up with WMS. Their leading position in the marine services industry and global reach is of great importance to us, as is their enthusiasm for offering ecological solutions to the world fleet. Our agreement ensures that RBT can access the global market and grow as a South African company,” says Bernard Jacobs, CEO of RBT.
RBT is owned by its original founding shareholders and the Southern African Intellectual Property Fund, managed by Triumph Venture Capital, a Johannesburg based venture capital management business.
EC Hambro Rabben & Partners acted as advisors to WMS.