BIO-UV Group has successfully installed and commissioned its BIO-SEA ballast water treatment system to CMA CGM’s new flagship, the 400m long, 20,600TEU CMA CGM Antoine De Saint Exupéry.

The vessel, one of the largest containerships to be built by Hanjin Heavy Industries’ yard in the Philippines, and the largest to fly the French flag, was christened in Le Havre earlier this month by the Minister of Economy and Finance, Bruno Le Maire, and the Minister in charge of Transport, Elisabeth Borne.

BIO-UV Group will also supply BIO-Sea Units to nine 22,000TEU CMA CGM vessels under construction in China, following the signing of a supply order earlier this year.  

CMA CGM Antoine De Saint Exupéry arriving in Le Havre
CMA CGM Antoine De Saint Exupéry arriving in Le Havre
Benoit Gillmann, President and CEO, BIO-UV Group, said: “The successful installation and commissioning of the 2000m3/h capacity BIO-SEA unit to this new flagship, together with newbuild and retrofit installations planned in coming months, puts CMA CGM  very much ahead in the game. 

“We anticipate a significant spike in ballast water retrofits over the next two to three years.  Taking newbuilds and retrofits into account, the market is worth more than €7.5 billion and if BIO-SEA can account for just 5% of this over the next six years or so, then we would be very happy, indeed.”

Xavier Deval, Business Director, BIO-SEA, said: “We anticipate the market beginning to take shape in 2019, but the big boom is likely to be in the 2020-2021 period. It will inevitably be a last-minute rush, so owners really do need to plan ahead to account for any increase in lead times. Depending on the size of the system, we can supply BIO-SEA units within 8 to 12 weeks.”

The short lead time is because each BIO-SEA unit is designed and manufactured completely in-house, at the company’s production plant in Lunel, France.

The BIO-Sea system incorporates two technologies in a single, fully automated skid-mounted or modular unit. The system first cleans ballast water using a screen filter, in order to reduce the amount of total suspended particles present in the seawater.

The second technology – BIO-UV Group’s patented UV-based disinfection technology – treats the water and eliminates all microorganisms without the addition of chemicals or active substances. The water passes through a reactor where UV rays destroy the microorganisms’ DNA.

Since one 22kW UV lamp can treat flow rates of 150m3/h, overall system footprint is minimal compared to other UV-based technologies. 

Commenting on the market acceptance of the BIO-SEA system, Mr Gillmann said: “As a result of the recently announced supply order from CMA CGM, we have noticed considerable interest in the technology. During the SMM exhibition, in Hamburg Germany, we met with over 100 shipowners, engineering advisory firms, shipyards and agents, all of whom were interested in the dual IMO/USCG certification we received in June. Only two other companies in the world currently have this dual certification for UV systems.”