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Gibdock seeing steady stream of ballast water retrofit work

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Gibralter shipyard Gibdock has been seeing a steady stream of ballast water treatment system (BWTS) retrofit work as owners look to be compliant ahead of the September 2019 deadline.

Although owners are only mandated to fit BWTS for existing vessels at the next special survey from 8 September 2019 under the IMO's Ballast Water Management Convention, an increasing number are opting to do some, or all the work ahead of time when vessels are coming into dock according to Gibdock.

“We actually fitting two at the moment that will take us up to seven ballast water fitted so far this year. It's coming as work within a drydocking specification,” Richard Beards, managing director of Gibdock told Seatrade Maritime News in a recent interview.

"People do seem to be starting to doing it at the next drydocking even though they don’t have to it," he said. As to why this is Beards explained: “I think people are starting to look at their contracts and think at some point we’re going to end up in America, so we should take the opportunity to do that now as we’re not planning to be off charter between now next time we go to America.”

The US has stricter rules for ballast water management that the global IMO regulation, and has currently given type approval to eight manufacturers systems.

Read more: Gibdock expects improved year for offshore work

The work can range from the full suite of scanning, design and installing the system to simply installation, while some owners are doing the scanning and design work ahead of the actual system installation at a later date.

“We don’t have any exclusivity arrangements with anybody, we’re happy to work with anybody and everybody on ballast water and the same for scrubbers,” Beards explained.

In terms of retrofitting scrubbers the yard has installed five Alfa Laval dual open and closed systems. “So we’re confident and experienced at doing scrubber work,” he said.

Read more: Gibdock wins five-vessel scrubber retrofit