Ballast water management treatment system approvals

We help ship-owners in selecting the right technology and ensuring it is safely installed and operated on-board – and we offer technical services to BWTS equipment manufacturers, to help them ensure their equipment has the necessary approvals to be used on ships operating around the globe.

For BWTS equipment manufacturers, the challenge is in understanding the differences between the type approval regimes, and ensuring that their equipment has undergone all the necessary testing to obtain approval to meet the relevant regulations. Equipment testing and approval can be a lengthy, involved process and to add to the complication there are different regulatory regimes with differing type approval requirements. Lloyd’s Register can help manufacturers to understand these differences, and to combine and streamline their testing and approval activities to minimise the time and costs involved in getting their technology to the market.

Lloyd’s Register has extensive technical knowledge and experience in the type approval of different marine technologies, including BWTS. As a Classification Society, we can lead ship-owners and manufacturers through the process of integrating BWTS on-board LR classed ships in accordance with LR Class rules.

As recognised organisation, we can approve equipment on behalf of Flag State Administrations as part of the IMO’s BWTS approval process, and as a recognized Independent Laboratory we can also help manufacturers through the process of type approval against the USCG regulations.

Lloyd’s Register also issues class Type Approval for BWTS which already hold a valid statutory approval certificate issued by an Administration. The BWTS will be appraised against relevant LR Class rules and a Type Approval procedure. Manufacturers who choose this service are able to use LR Type Approval Marks on their system and in promotional literature. A class type approval of this type can also be carried out with the
statutory type approval (IMO, USCG) if requested.

We can help you ensure your systems are tested and approved to the highest standards, to ensure that they can meet the requirements of vessel operators trading worldwide.