Evac Complete Cleantech Solution Delivered For Quark Expeditions Cruise Ship

Quark Expeditions, the leading operator of polar exploration cruises, can be assured that their new ship will have the least impact on the environment, as it will be installed with an Evac Complete Cleantech Solution that now includes a ballast water management system.

The new expedition ship designed to carry up to 200 passengers will be built by Brodosplit in Croatia and is scheduled to be launched in 2020.

“We are confident that the Evac Group will be a perfect partner for us in the execution of the vessel,” said Tatjana Mlinaric, Senior Contracts Manager at DIV Group, the Brodosplit mother company. “We are very satisfied with the service provided so far and look forward to delivering a vessel with state-of-the-art waste, water and ballast water management systems”, she added.

Quark Expeditions vessels sail in some of the most fragile environmental areas and they are committed to being one of the most environmentally friendly operators. With the solutions from Evac they will be able to run safely, without any effect on the environment.

Over the last 5 years during the development stage of the vessel, Evac has worked closely with LMG, one of Norway’s leading naval architects who designed the new cruise ship.

“We have had excellent co-operation with Evac during the design phase enabling the project to move smoothly and ensuring that ship has the most advanced and cost-effective equipment package”, said Torbjorn Bringedal, managing director of LMG.

Ballast water management system is key element of contract
It is the first time that a ballast water management system has been incorporated into the Evac Complete Cleantech Solution package, following Evac’s acquisition of Cathelco, the UK manufacturers of marine equipment, in 2018.

The Evac Evolution ballast water management system has been developed over a 10 year period by Cathelco. The system supplied for the Quark Expeditions vessel will have the capacity to treat 75 cubic metres of ballast water per hour. Based on a combination of filtration and UV technology, it has a ‘feedback loop’ which uses UV transmission as the parameter for precisely determining UV dosage. This ensures effectiveness in challenging water conditions, but saves on power during normal running. Designed to comply with the latest IMO and U.S. Coast Guard regulations, the system is currently on the USCG ‘pending list’ for Type Approval.

Solutions for management of other water streams
Evac will be installing Evac Optima 5 vacuum toilets on the ship connected to two online vacuum generation units resulting in significant savings in water usage throughout the life of the vessel. Onboard black and grey water requirements will be covered by an Evac EcoScreen pre-treatment plant and an Evac MBR membrane bioreactor wastewater treatment plant. The MBR plant is certified to meet the most stringent standards of effluent water, nutrient and phosphorous removal. Grease separators for treating galley grey water will also be installed.

The contract also involves providing a marine growth prevention system for the cruise ship which will eliminate blockages in seawater cooling lines caused by the growth of barnacles and mussels. Installations involve fitting copper and aluminium anodes in the seachests which are connected to a control panel. The copper ions are carried through the pipework system and prevent larvae from settling or growing, whilst the aluminium ions create an anti-corrosive layer on the inside of pipes.

Range of dry and wet waste management systems
Evac is supplying a fully integrated system for processing dry and wet waste from the ship’s galley. The new vessel will be equipped with a food waste collection tank and several macerator units as well as a heavy duty food waste shredder connected to a centralised vacuum waste system.

The offered Evac Complete Cleantech Solutions supports Quark Expeditions in recycling waste and reducing the volume of waste onboard the vessel. The related solutions include a bailer for cardboard, a glass crusher and dry waste shredder.

“I think this is the first of many projects where the combined strength of Evac and Cathelco will enable us to win new business by offering a more comprehensive range of the products, particularly as the market for ballast water management systems gathers momentum”, said Kjell Erik Reinstad, General Manager of Evac Norway AS, who led the sales and technical team involved in the contract.