Cargo-carrying sail ship features Bio-UV ballast water treatment system

The innovative Grain de Sail II cargo sail ship is crossing the Atlantic with a state-of-the-art ballast water treatment system supplied by Bio-UV Group.

The Grain de Sail 2 cargo sail ship
The Grain de Sail 2 cargo sail ship - Image courtesy Loys Leclercq – L20Naval.

The vessel, based in St Malo, France, transports French products to New York before heading south to the Caribbean and loading locally grown organic products, such as cocoa and coffee beans.

The 52m wind-powered Grain de Sail II, christened in January this year, features a UV-based skid-mounted Bio-Sea L unit, installed with a Filtrex filter system. The system is designed to treat ballast water flow rates of 30m3/h.

“The successful delivery of Grain De Sail II, an aluminum-hulled schooner, marks a decisive step in the development of sustainable navigation,” said Bio-UV Group CEO Laurent-Emmanuel Migeon.

“Bio-UV Group is committed to working with shipowners and shipyards that are pushing the boundaries of innovation and design to build a new generation of ships that respect the marine ecosystem.”

Wind-powered cargo ships particularly suit the Bio-Sea L series due to their low flow rate ballasting requirements, ranging from 13 to 120m3/h. System components are delivered all-inclusive and can be supplied in various configurations, such as modular, split skid or full skid versions, allowing maximum adaptability for onboard system integration.

Loïc Briand, managing director of Morlaix-based Grain de Sail Shipping, owner of the vessel, said: “The successful build and delivery of this hugely innovative sustainable ship shows we are at the forefront of innovation in the rise of sustainable shipping across the maritime industry. By shipping goods across the Atlantic by cargo sailboat we have one of the lowest carbon footprints possible.”

Maxime Dedeurwaerder, Bio-Sea Maritime Business Unit Director, added: “Newbuild projects such as these are a great opportunity for Bio-UV Group to help reduce the environmental impact even further by preventing the migration of invasive species in the most effective way possible.”

Bio-Sea low flow rate ballast water treatment systems combine mechanical filtration and ultraviolet (UV) disinfection without any chemical treatment.

The “L” range of Bio-Sea BWTS is specially designed to meet the ballasting needs of vessels with small pump capacities. All components, including the power supply, are integrated into the system, removing the need for a separate power cabinet, saving even more space.

The vessel’s Bio-Sea L01-03 skid mounted ballast water treatment plant