AQUA-TOOLS’ B-QUA NOMINATED FOR SEATRADE CLEAN SHIPPING AWARD
Aqua-tools’ B-QUA ballast water monitoring technique, which is based on an advanced Adenosine Tri-phosphates (ATP) testing methodology, has been nominated in the Clean Shipping category of this year’s Seatrade Awards.
Marc Raymond, aqua-tools’ founder and CEO, said: “We are thrilled to be nominated for this award. While aqua-tools has been supplying water and fuel microbiological expertise to industrial and maritime industries for some time, the ballast water treatment sector is relatively new to us.
“To be nominated for a Seatrade Award so early on is indicative of the important commercial and technical role the industry believes effective, rapid water sampling and testing will have to play in meeting the Ballast Water Management Convention’s requirements.”
Earlier this year, the French company’s B-QUA was approved for use by the Saudi and Canadian port state control authorities. B-QUA is said to be the only test kit on the market capable of providing microbiological measurement readings in under 1 hour and across all organism factions. The 10-50µm and >50µm ranges are analysed within 50 minutes, while results of bacteria analysis can be provided in 15 minutes.
“There is no other monitoring and verification system that can test all three of these organism groups -10-50µm and >50µm and bacteria – required by the D1 and D2 standards,” said Raymond.
Those nominated for the Seatrade Clean Shipping Award must demonstrate a new or improved upon technology that supports the industry’s objective of clean and sustainable shipping.
A panel of judges, which includes experts from leading industry associations BIMCO, CLIA, HELMEPA, IACS, ICS, INTERCARGO, INTERTANKO and OCIMF, will decide which of the six finalists takes home the award on the evening of the 29th June.