Without Limitations: Evac MBBR

Thanks to its moving bed biofilm reactor (MBBR) technology, ship owners increasingly choose Evac to outfit their ships.

MBBR isn’t the most often used acronym in the cruise business, but may be someday soon.

Moving Bed Biofilm Reactors, or MBBRs, are onboard wastewater treatment plants that enable maritime vessels to purify wastewater by oxidation and entrapment of organics. In simplest terms, MBBR technology allows ships to meet land-based standards for wastewater treatment.

“MBBR allows a ship to operate without limitations,” says Evac’s Senior Process Specialist Jari Jokela. With Evac MBBRs, ships may operate in many Environmentally Sensitive Sea Areas (ESSAs) and Special Areas (SAs) defined nationally or internationally, where special discharge restrictions apply.”

‘Complete’ means ‘savings’

When a ship owner selects Evac Complete Cleantech Solution for a vessel, it’s a total waste and wastewater management package. It includes dry and wet waste treatment systems, an incinerator, a recycling equipment covering glass, plastic, paper, cardboard and aluminum waste, plus food waste vacuum systems, a bio sludge treatment unit, and vacuum collecting systems including vacuum units and vacuum toilets.

“By ‘complete’ it also means you get the benefits from the integrated and cost-effective operation of the systems,” says Jokela. “Our total system is simpler than competitive systems. It uses fewer process units and it’s easier to operate.”

For example, competitive systems require three different chemicals for precipitation. Evac’s system requires only one. “We also offer one control system to take care of it all,” adds Jokela, “which frees the ship operator from the headache of having to manage three to four interfaces between earlier systems.”

“Evac also eliminates the issue of compatibility of systems between multiple suppliers,” says Jokela. “Our Evac Complete Cleantech Solution means service is available from one point of contact. A big part of ship operation responsibilities are handed over to Evac.”

Jokela says savings come from two sources: “On the waste side there are cost savings. But from the wastewater system you also save significantly on operational costs.”

Who’s benefitting?

Evac Complete Cleantech Solution is the choice of navies, coast guards, offshore operators, and cruise lines. During the first quarter of 2016, Evac’s backlog value grew 60 percent versus the previous year.

In April 2016, Evac announced a new contract valued at over 10 million euros for three large-scale cruise vessels with an option for one additional. The business was won specifically thanks to Evac Complete Cleantech Solution covering integrated waste and wastewater management.

“There are ship owners out there for whom energy consumption is so important that they require their new ships to be a certain percentage more efficient than previous ships,” says Jokela. “Evac’s long-term approach to product development has enabled us to minimize overall energy consumption by, for example, adding sensors and frequency converters to the process control. We’re very good when it comes to energy efficiency, and that’s one reason we’re winning these jobs.”

A different way of working

Evac’s success has come because of the company’s different way of working, according to Mika Karjalainen, Evac’s Chief Operating Officer. “We constantly invest in product development with energy efficiency and environmental protection in mind.”

Karjalainen says the waste treatment system is the latest state of the art technology, and it’s one which has benefited from continual investment in research and development.

“If we have a secret weapon,” says Karjalainen, “it’s that we don’t fear going outside. Evac always uses the best expertise available in the world through networking with the best specialists in the industry. And our customers see the benefit.”

 

 

Evac in brief

Evac is the world’s leading provider of integrated waste-, wastewater-, and water management systems for the marine, offshore, and building industries. The company has executed over 20,000 marine and 2,000 building projects worldwide. Evac has employees in Brazil, China, Finland, France, Germany, Korea, Norway and the USA, and representatives in more than 40 countries. The company’s turnover was 98 million euros in 2015.

Contact:

Carita Lehmusmetsä
Brand and Communications Manager
Tel. +358 44761 9559
carita.lehmusmetsa (at) en.evac.com.