JULY 24, 2013 — Hyundai Heavy Industries Co., Ltd. (HHI) reports  that its electrolysis-based ballast water treatment system, HiBallast (pictured left), has been accepted as an Alternative Management System (AMS) by the United States Coast Guard.

The system won IMO type approval in 2011. However, IMO type approval alone does not mean that a system will meet U.S. requirements. HHI noters that according to the Standards for Living Organisms in Ships' Ballast Water Discharged in U.S. Waters, Final Rule, it is mandatory for all new ships built from December 2013 coming into and going out of U.S. ports to install Coast Guard approved ballast water treatment systems.

Hyundai Heavy believes the Coast Guard’s acceptance of HiBallast as an AMS will play a positive role for the company to win more HiBallast orders for ships operating on US routes.

The company is also aiming to win Coast Guard AMS approval for another ballast water treatment system, EcoBallast, by the first half of 2014. This system sterilizes seawater by using ultraviolet rays.

The full list of U.S. Coast Guard AMS-accepted ballast water management systems can be accessed HERE