Evac Group to supply a comprehensive water and waste treatment package to new Royal Navy frigates

The next generation of frigates to be built for the UK’s Royal Navy will be installed with a comprehensive water and waste treatment package of equipment from Evac for greater sustainability and energy-efficiency.

The five Type 31 warships will be constructed by Babcock International at its Rosyth facility in Scotland, with the first ship entering the water in 2023 and all ships delivered by 2028.“We recognize the importance of protecting the marine environment and the systems supplied by the Evac Group will help the Royal Navy to achieve its aims of greater sustainability throughout the life-time of the ships”, says Graeme Thomson, Programme Director Type 31 of Babcock International.

With a length of 138.7 metres the vessels can be deployed for roles including maritime security, maritime counter terrorism, counter piracy and escort duties. The ships will have accommodation for around 180 personnel.
“We are delighted to supply the equipment for the next generation of UK Royal Navy frigates. This order represents one of the most extensive ranges ever supplied for naval craft by Evac”, says Tomas Michelsson, President of Evac’s Marine & Offshore Business Area.
“All of our cleantech systems are based on the principle of achieving greater sustainability, either by decreasing the demand for energy or water, reducing emissions or through the reduction of maintenance which enables the vessels to be operated more economically and with a reduced environmental impact”, Mr Michelsson added.
Evac is supplying a package of equipment which represents a complete cleantech solution which will generate fresh water, treat and recycle waste as well as purifying wastewater, thereby reducing the environmental impact of the vessels in the years ahead.

The project involves the installation of an advanced bioreactor sewage treatment plant to purify all black and gray water streams which will operate in conjunction with an Evac vacuum collection system. In addition, cardboard compacting and glass crushing equipment is being supplied for the safe and efficient handling of dry waste.

The provision of fresh water is another important factor for vessels which may remain at sea for many days. To reduce the requirement for carrying shore mains water, Evac is supplying a reverse osmosis desalinator (watermaker) which is capable of meeting the domestic requirements of the crew.

Each of the vessel’s hulls will be protected against corrosion with a Cathelco impressed current cathodic protection system (ICCP), reducing the need for maintenance over the life cycle of the ships. They will also be installed with marine growth prevention systems (MGPS) which prevent blockages caused by bio-fouling in seawater pipework cooling systems serving the main engines and ancillary equipment. Cathelco, based in Chesterfield, UK has been an Evac Group company since 2018.

Evac has a long history of supplying equipment to navies worldwide, two of the best known projects being the installation of hull corrosion protection and marine growth prevention systems on the UK Royal Navy’s Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carriers.

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