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Saudi Aramco, the world’s largest oil producer, has selected Chelsea Technologies to provide benchmark testing for compliance with international ballast water standards. This follows the company’s announcement that all ships calling at its ports and terminals will be required to provide ballast water samples, in order to demonstrate compliance with the IMO’s Ballast Water Management Convention.
Chelsea Technologies’ FastBallast portable ballast water analyser has been chosen by Saudi Aramco and will be deployed as a testing device to conduct spot checks on indicative sampling undertaken by third-party sampling companies.
Saudi Aramco ports and terminals are considered amongst the world’s highest receivers of ballast water from ships, with over 180 million tons of ballast water discharged during cargo operations every year. Saudi Arabia ratified IMO’s Ballast Water Management Convention in April 2017, through a Royal Decree signed by King Salman bin Abdulaziz. The decree also activated the adoption of a national ballast water management strategy, which includes indicative sampling of ballast water.
Dr. Brian Phillips, Managing Director of Chelsea Technologies, says, “Together with GSA, our sole agent in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, we look forward to working together with Saudi Aramco to ensure that all third-party ballast water sampling meets the high standards of compliance now required of all vessels calling at Saudi Aramco ports and terminals from international waters. We are proud of the role that FastBallast will play in creating the national benchmark for ballast water sampling and, in doing so, helping to protect Saudi Arabia’s marine environment.”
