Hamworthy is one of the first companies to receive type approval for sewage treatment plant that conforms to new standards, and already has orders for 42 such units

Hamworthy has received both EC Marine Equipment Directive (‘Wheelmark’) certification from the UK Marine & Coastguard Agency and type-approval certification from Lloyd’s Register for sewage treatment plant that meets more demanding standards than previously required. These standards conform to the revised MARPOL Annex IV related guidelines that apply to equipment installed on existing ships on or after 1 January 2010 and new ships whose keels are laid on or after this date.

IMO’s Marine Environment Protection Committee adopted revised guidelines on effluent standards and performance tests for sewage treatment plant in October 2006. These new MEPC 159(55) guidelines will supersede the existing MEPC 2(VI) guidelines adopted in 1976, and specify tougher standards for all effluent quality parameters (see table).

Existing MEPC 2(VI) sewage treatment plants do not conform to the new guidelines, so Hamworthy has developed enhancements to ensure that they do. As part of the type-approval process, land-based prototype testing over a period of eight months in Poole, England, was overseen by Lloyd’s Register.

Hamworthy has 42 sewage treatment plant units on order that conform to the new MEPC 159(55) guidelines. Shipbuilders Samsung and Hyundai in South Korea have specified these for cargo ships on order for several, mainly European, owners.