Alfa Laval wins groundbreaking orders for PureBallast from leading shipyards in Korea

Alfa Laval – a world leader in heat transfer, centrifugal separation and fluid handling – has received two orders of record size for Alfa Laval PureBallast systems from two leading ship yards in Korea. The systems will be installed on board 14 vessels built for A.P Møller – Maersk. The total order value is about 80 MSEK and the delivery is scheduled for 2011 and 2012.

“These are groundbreaking orders in many ways”, says Lars Renstrm, President and CEO of the Alfa Laval Group. “They include the 100th system sold, and are of record size, both in terms of value as in number of systems – on top of that it also involves some of the major players in the marine industry. The orders confirm our market leading position in ballast water treatment.”

The Alfa Laval PureBallast systems in this latest orders will be installed onboard a series of container vessels that leading Korean ship yards are building for Danish ship owner A.P. Møller – Maersk.

With this order A.P. Møller – Maersk, the largest ship owner in the world, also shows their commitment to fulfill the IMO ballast water convention before the ratification is completed. Today 25 countries representing 24 percent of the world fleet (Merchant Gross Tonnage) have ratified the “International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships Ballast Water & Sediments”. The Convention will enter into force one year after ratification by 30 states, representing 35 percent of the world’s tonnage.

Alfa Laval’s PureBallast, developed in cooperation with Wallenius Water, was the first chemical-free system to be approved by International Maritime Organization (2007) and is seen as the leading technology with most systems sold today in the world. More than 100 PureBallast systems have now been sold to shipyards in Korea, Japan, China, Norway Germany, the Netherlands, Spain and Dubai to be installed in various types of vessels, including Ro-Ro, container and offshore supply vessels, bulk carriers, and naval vessels.

Did you know that... ballast water is absolutely essential to the safe and efficient operation of modern shipping, providing balance and stability to ships? Approximately 3 to 5 billion tons of ballast water is transported internationally each year, and the water transfers microorganisms that can end up where they have no natural enemies, causing severe damage to the local marine ecosystem.