Protect marine life with Optimarin ballast water treatment

Environmentally friendly ballast water treatment systems and comprehensive services

As an official partner of Optimarin, Zeppelin Power Systems offers shipyards and ship owners advanced ballast water treatment systems (BWTS) from Optimarin, which are crucial for the protection of marine life.

Ballast water plays an important role in the safe and efficient navigation of ships. It contributes to stability, manoeuvrability and optimal load distribution. However, it can also pose a threat to the marine environment if it transports invasive species. Our Optimarin ballast water treatment systems remove and neutralise invasive marine organisms and protect marine biodiversity. With Optimarin's reliable products, we deliver effective ballast water treatment solutions that meet the stringent standards of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO). Comprehensive maintenance, on-site services and spare parts supply complete our range and support ongoing operations on ships.

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Germany: 0800 - 5892787

International: +49 40 853 151-222

Benefits for your company

Compliance with international regulations

The ballast water convention of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) and other national regulations require the treatment of ballast water to prevent the spread of invasive species. Optimarin systems fulfil and often exceed these strict standards.

Protecting marine biodiversity without chemicals

By treating ballast water, Optimarin's systems help to protect marine biodiversity. This is crucial for the preservation of healthy ecosystems. Our systems are environmentally friendly and do not use chemicals or biocides in the treatment and purification processes.

Simple and reliable technology

Zeppelin Power Systems offers advanced and reliable ballast water treatment systems that are easy to install and maintain. Their technology is based on proven methods such as UV treatment, which is effective and environmentally friendly.

Worldwide service with certified technicians

We offer comprehensive services for our Optimarin ballast water treatment systems worldwide. Our technicians, certified for Optimarin products, are quickly available and ensure that your systems operate efficiently and reliably to meet stringent environmental regulations.

Optimarin and Zeppelin Power Systems are your experts for ballast water treatment

For more than 20 years, Optimarin has been setting standards in the development of commercial ballast water treatment systems. At Zeppelin Power Systems, we integrate these innovative solutions that easily neutralise all potentially invasive species with a combination of automatic backwashing, self-cleaning filters and powerful UV irradiation.

Filter and UV technology neutralise invasive organisms

During ballast intake, the water is passed through the Optimarin filter, which removes larger organisms and particles and flushes them back overboard. The filtered water then flows through a UV chamber that kills or inactivates organisms, viruses and bacteria. Optimarin uses powerful UV lamps to ensure a first-class cleaning result even under extreme water conditions. During ballast water discharge, the filter is automatically bypassed and the water receives a second UV treatment to ensure that all regulations are met. The modular design of the system allows for easy installation on any vessel, both new builds and retrofits, even where space is limited. The system does not use or produce chemicals, making it safe and environmentally friendly.

Intelligent control and monitoring

The Optimarin Control Panel is powerful and user-friendly. Thanks to a high-performance CPU, information can be managed, monitored and exchanged efficiently. The touch panel enables effortless control, while our cloud-based OptiLink data collection system provides a centralised and simple overview, both on board and remotely.

Maintenance and spare parts services

We also offer a comprehensive maintenance and spare parts service to ensure the continuous operation of your systems. The Optimarin system naturally has full IMO and USCG approval, which guarantees the highest safety and quality standards.

Do you have any questions about our Optimarin ballast water treatment systems? We will be happy to provide you with comprehensive advice.

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Turnkey treatment systems and systems for use in potentially explosive atmospheres

Skid solutions: Quick and easy installation with our plug and play option

For quick and easy installation, our Optimarin skid solution is an extremely efficient choice for both new build and retrofit projects. Simply lift on board, connect pipework for inlet, outlet and drain, connect electrical cables and air lines when using pneumatic actuators, and you are ready for ballast operation.

The smallest model of our skid solutions can handle 50 m³/h of ballast water, the largest model 3,000 m³/h of ballast water.

Our skid solutions are also available for use in potentially explosive environments (Optimarin EX solutions). In the EX version, the control cabinets of the system are located in a safe zone on the ship.

Ex-Solutions: Ballast water treatment systems for extreme conditions

Our BWTS Ex variant from Optimarin is specially designed for use in Zone 1 hazardous areas. It uses individually certified quality components that lead to Ex labelling: II 2G Ex d e ia ib mb px IIB/IIC T4, depending on the options selected. The control and power panels are placed in non-hazardous areas in compliance with safety regulations, while UV chambers, valves, filters, pumps and instruments are approved for installation in hazardous areas.

The explosion protection of the UV chamber is a certified Exp solution. The inside of the UV chambers, with the exception of the ballast water flow path, is purged with nitrogen and pressurised. The nitrogen overpressure prevents the hazardous atmosphere from coming into contact with the UV lamp and enables effective UV treatment of the ballast water.

Our experienced consultants will be happy to help you choose the right skid solution and can give you expert advice on our EX solutions.

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Add-ons for Optimarin ballast water treatment systems

We offer a range of add-ons to maximise the efficiency and functionality of your Optimarin ballast water treatment system. These add-on options include:

Automatic fresh water filling

Automatic fresh water filling is a function that drains the seawater in the filter and fills it with fresh water from the boat's fresh water tanks.

The purpose of the fresh water filling is to prevent biological organisms in the filter from getting caught in the mesh. This reduces the risk of high differential pressure when starting the system and reduces the likelihood of the filter element having to be cleaned manually.

GPS-Logging

Connecting the ballast water system to a GPS source on board enables the logging of coordinates for each operation. The time and date of the system can also be automatically synchronised with the ship's GPS time.

GPS junction box

- Compact housing (300x300x120) 230 or 440VAC power supply

- Standard serial communication with GPS source (RS-232/422/485)

- Easy installation on the bridge or elsewhere on board (IP66)

Requirements

Serial communication with GPS source (RS232/422/485) NMEA-0183 - GPRMC string is transmitted from GPS source to GPS junction box

Interlock-Panel

After countless successful retrofit projects, we know where the challenges lie. One difficulty is detecting signals from pumps and valves that could bypass the ballast water treatment system (BWTS).

External valves and pumps can make it difficult to install a ballast water treatment system (BWTS) as required. The interlock panel recognises any bypassing of the treatment system, triggers an alarm and is recorded by the system's control unit.

The Optimarin interlock panel can receive signals from up to 16 pumps and/or valves. Depending on the environmental peripherals, the number of panels can be increased and the monitoring extended.

The interlock panel can document up to 24 different bypasses and is configured for your specific requirements during commissioning.

OptiLink

OptiLink increases the efficiency and availability of your ballast water treatment system (BWTS).

OptiLink enables the ballast water system to be connected to the ship's computer network. The connection is made via a standard Ethernet cable (at least CAT5E). 

Remote access on board

- The BWTS can be controlled and monitored remotely with OptiLink from anywhere on board as long as a network connection is available.

- The connection is made using a standard web browser.

- Restriction: Only one connection can be active at a time.

Remote access on land

- BWTS software updates can be carried out remotely.

- Our technical support can provide remote assistance in the event of problems.

- Remote staff training can be carried out.

Requirements for OptiLink

- OptiLink requires a VPN connection (or similar).

- The ship must have a GPS data connection to the shore.

- Two available IP addresses are required in the ship's network, which must be defined before commissioning.

Remote Operation

With Remote Operation, you can operate and monitor your ballast water treatment system (BWTS) remotely. This increases the flexibility and efficiency of controlling the system and makes it easier to monitor your data. Remote control is also particularly useful for managing multiple vessels or systems from a central location.

Operating scenarios

Not connected to the vessel's automation system (IAS): 

- Use of a stand-alone full-function panel (OBS Touch Panel) for seamless installation into an existing control panel. Requires an Ethernet (CAT5E) cable between ballast water system and panel and a 24VDC power supply. Maximum distance on CAT5E is 100m. 

- Use with the sub-control panel, which is installed inside a cabinet and requires an Ethernet and power supply (400-440VAC).

Connected to the ship's automation system (IAS): 

- Digital inputs/outputs (Digital I/O): Enables control of the system with the minimum required functions. 

- ProfiNet: Siemens communication via Ethernet, which displays more information about the system (e.g. flow, kW, pressure, temperature). 

- OptiBus: Similar information to ProfiNet, but via industrial bus communication such as Profibus or ModBus.

Stripping with ejector

Stripping removes the residual ballast water that remains in the tanks after normal deballasting. An ejector is used for this process, which works with high pressurised air or liquid to suck in and remove the water.

When the ballast tank is emptied, the flow of ballast water to the suction pump may be restricted by the structure of the tank bottom. As a result, the main ballast pump often loses its suction capacity before the tank is completely empty.

Our stripping process utilises an existing ejector to remove the last remnants of ballast water from the tank. The ejector uses local seawater under high pressure to create a suction effect. The mixture of the propulsion water (local seawater) and the ballast water is then channelled through the ejector system.

The propulsion water (local seawater) used for the ejector is filtered to remove particles. The mixture of propulsion water and ballast water is then passed through the BWTS UV treatment system to ensure that all organic pollutants and micro-organisms are inactivated before it is discharged into the seawater.  

Advantages of stripping with ejector

Efficiency: Effectively removes the remaining ballast water from the tank.

Environmental friendliness: UV treatment ensures that the discharged water fulfils environmental standards.

Automation: Fully integrated into Optimarin's automation system, with automatic air release system to vent excess air generated by the ejector.

Experience and support: We have extensive experience in the application of stripping with ejector and provide full technical support for the integration and operation of this system.

Would you like advice and more information about our add-ons?

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Certificates for type approvals for download

DNV (IMO)

U.S. Coast Guard

ABS

Bureau Veritas

China Classification Society

Indonesia Classification Society

Italian Coast Guard

Korean Register

Llody's Register

Maritime Bureau, Japan

Polish Register of Shipping

RINA

The Grand Duchy of Luxembourg

The Hellenic Republic

Why effective ballast water treatment is essential

Over 80% of goods traded worldwide are transported by sea, with around 3 to 5 billion tonnes of ballast water being moved internationally every year. Ballast water is absolutely essential for the safe and efficient operation of modern shipping, as it provides balance and stability to unmanned vessels. However, it can also pose an environmental, economic and health threat.

The United Nations considers the introduction of non-indigenous marine species to be one of the top four threats to the global environment. At any given time, 35,000 ships are travelling the world's waters, carrying more than 3,000 species in their ballast tanks. The United Nations International Maritime Organisation estimates that ten billion tonnes of ballast water are transported worldwide every year.

In the last ten years, the spread of species to areas where they do not occur naturally has increased significantly. This creates an imbalance in ecosystems and poses a serious environmental threat. Often the immigrant species have no natural enemies, causing the original species to die out and disrupting the entire marine ecosystem. This has dramatic consequences for biodiversity and for industries such as fisheries and aquaculture.

Services and digital solutions for your ballast water treatment system

Zeppelin Power Systems is your partner for customised Optimarin BWTS service

Zeppelin Power Systems offers comprehensive services for Optimarin ballast water treatment systems (BWTS) to ensure the efficient and reliable operation of your BWTS. In addition to advice and support during planning and implementation, this includes regular maintenance services. Our services also include the provision of original spare parts and service kits including installation materials.

Training programmes for on-board personnel ensure the safe and efficient operation of your systems.

Our flexible service contracts, which are tailored to the individual needs of our customers, round off the service portfolio.

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Remote monitoring and analysis for your ballast water treatment system

To optimise the monitoring, maintenance and efficiency of our Optimarin ballast water treatment systems, we offer various digital solutions. With Active Equipment Connect (AEC), you can remotely monitor all your systems, including your ballast water system, in real time and obtain analyses for performance optimisation and other critical data. In addition, Optimarin's OptiLink offers a cloud-based data collection solution that enables monitoring and management of the BWTS.

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