In the front ranks of environmental technology
ESL Shipping’s m/s Pasila is the first Finnish cargo ship to have a ballast water cleaning system installed. The system stops harmful organisms from moving from one water area to another and is necessary when a vessel sails between the Baltic Sea and other marine areas. ESL Shipping also intends to install ballast water cleaning systems in its other ships.
The transfer of foreign flora and fauna from one marine area to another poses a serious threat to the environment. For instance, the American comb jelly has been spreading widely in the Baltic Sea in the past few years, destroying its natural ecosystem.
“With the ballast water cleaning systems, we can do our part to take care of the environment and the health of the Baltic Sea,” says Markus Karjalainen, President of ESL Shipping. The mechanical principle of the system is based on the simultaneous filtering and UV treatment of the ballast water. UV technology is very safe, as it does not employ harmful chemicals.
The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has called for regulations whereby ballast water cleaning systems should be installed in 30,000–40,000 ships during the next 10 years. The regulations are currently being ratified and are expected to come into force gradually as from 2013