Yuyo Steamship Decides on the First Introduction of “ClearBallast,” the Hitachi Ballast Water Purification System

July 28, 2010
Yuyo Steamship Co., Ltd.
Hitachi Plant Technologies, Ltd.

  Tokyo, Japan July 28, 2010 — Yuyo Steamship Co., Ltd. (HQ: Kanagawa; President & CEO: Naoaki Tsuchiya) has decided to install “ClearBallast,”^(*1) the Hitachi ballast water purification system that uses a coagulation and magnetic separation system. It was developed by Hitachi Plant Technologies, Ltd. (HQ: Tokyo; President and Representative Director: Toshiaki Higashihara). “ClearBallast” will be installed on the LPG ship Sunny Joy (tank capacity: 78,000 m³). This will be the first “ClearBallast” system to be used on a ship in service.
  “ClearBallast” will be installed on the Sunny Joy in November 2010 by the Innoshima Shipyard (location: Hiroshima prefecture; Managing Officer, Innoshima Shipyard: Toshikatsu Nishigata) of Universal Shipbuilding Corporation (HQ: Kanagawa; President & CEO: Shinjiro Mishima).
  During shipboard testing of “ClearBallast,” which was conducted by Hitachi Plant Technologies between April 2008 and March 2009, the test equipment was installed on Yuyo Steamship’s LPG ship Yuyo (tank capacity: 78,500 m³), and the companies collaborated on the development and practical use of the system. Yuyo Steamship made the decision to use “ClearBallast” based on a comprehensive evaluation of the following factors: (1) The system is environmentally friendly because it does not use disinfectants; (2) it reduces maintenance and operation costs, as well as power costs, because it greatly reduces accumulation of mud and other deposits in the ballast tank; (3) it is readily adaptable to explosion-proof specifications; and (4) the system is expected to be effective for treating drain water from shipboard kitchens and showers (gray water), etc., an area expected to be subject to tighter regulations. In the future, Yuyo Steamship will make efforts to install ballast water treatment systems on other ships. This will help prevent ocean pollution and protect and preserve the global environment.
  Furthermore, Hitachi Plant Technologies intends to actively expand sales of “ClearBallast.” The company’s target is to receive 100 orders per year as of FY2012.

Notes:

*1

ClearBallast: Registered trademark of Hitachi, Ltd. used by Hitachi Plant Technologies under license.

Overview of “ClearBallast” to be installed in Sunny Joy

Approvals granted by Hitachi Plant Technologies

• Granted the G9 Final Approval in July, 2009.
  “ClearBallast” has been granted the Final Approval of “PROCEDURE FOR APPROVAL OF BALLAST WATER MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS THAT MAKE USE OF ACTIVE SUBSTANCES (G9)” from IMO ^(*2) defined in the Ballast Water Management Convention as the first system among Japanese Manufacturers.
• Granted the G8 Type Approval in March, 2010.
  “ClearBallast” has firstly been granted the Type Approval based on “GUIDELINES FOR APPROVAL OF BALLAST WATER MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS (G8)” defined in the Ballast Water Management Convention from Japanese government.

*2

IMO : International Maritime Organization

Contacts

Hitachi Plant Technologies, Ltd.:
Takashi Sato: takashi.sato.xa@hitachi-pt.com
Tel: +813-5928-8233, Fax: +813-5928-8720

<Reference document>

• Overview of Hitachi Ballast Water Purification System “ClearBallast” (PDF Format , 192kbyte)