Wave Ruler Ballast Water Treatment Plant Commissioned

Transvac and Hyde engineers successfully set to work the Hyde Guardian HG1000X shipset which was delivered to Cammell Laird's Birkenhead yard during November 2012.

This latest delivery forms part of the Ministry of Defence's continued commitment towards providing platforms which meet the requirements of UK legislation and international conventions as set out under MEPC.174(58).

The retrofit, considered as being one of the most challenging BWT retrofits conducted to date, was performed by Cammell Laird and involved creating a new purpose made compartment situated in the Centre FO Bunker Tank located forward of the Cargo Pump Room bulkhead. The new space was formed by existing longitudinal bulkheads and a new deckhead which aligns with the existing cargo pump room deck head.

The shipping route also proved problematic (albeit provisionally) as the Centre FO Bunker Tank could only be accessed from 1 Deck via a vertical ladder leading to a platform and then a sloping ladder down to the tank top. All of the Hyde equipment had to be stripped down to basic elements to enable shipping through 2 x 2 metre apertures. The ladders and platform had to be temporarily removed and modified.

A substantial foundation had to be manufactured and installed within the new "BWT Space" approximately 1400mm above the existing tank top level and above the cross-over pipe. All Hyde equipment was shipped via the existing access openings from 1 Deck to the Cargo Pump Room floor plate and then through the bulkhead opening onto the new foundation. The Hyde BWT Power Panels and Control Panel were shipped through the same route and located at the lower level in the port side stairwell.

Due to the existing ballast water pipework configuration, a Hyde Atex Approved UV Chamber (c/w purge arrangement) had to be mounted away from the plant in an Ex rated hazardous area. An Atex approved backwash booster pump was located inside the newly created "BWT Space" adjacent to the Hyde filter battery.

A duplicate Hyde shipset has already been partially installed onboard the sister vessel (Wave Knight) by Cammell Laird during a 2012 refit. it is envisaged that the retrofit will be completed and the equipment commissioned onboard the vessel during 2015.