French shipbuilder Chantiers de l’Atlantique has contracted BIO-UV group to supply BIO-SEA ballast water treatment systems (BWTS) for two LNG-fuelled small luxury cruise ships under construction for Ritz Carlton, a Marriott International brand.
When delivered in 2024 and 2025. respectively, the 46,000 gt ’Ilma’ and ’Luminara’ will join the smaller Astander-built ’Evrima’ – the first Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection vessel – which was delivered earlier this year.
“We are immensely proud to supply BIO-SEA systems to these prestigious vessels,” said Maxime Dedeurwaerder, Business Unit Director, BIO-SEA by BIO-UV Group.
“These premium cruise ships are at the cutting edge of environmental technology and an advanced UV-based ballast water treatment means they are safeguarding our oceans from invasive, non-indigenous organisms.”
‘Ilma’ and ’Luminara’ will each be fitted with a BIO-SEA ‘B’-Series B02-190 system, capable of treating ballast water flow rates of 190 cu m per hour from just two high intensity, low-energy UV reactors.
The BWTS incorporate a mechanical filtration system that is backflushed automatically to ensure continuous and effective performance.
Each 456-pax capacity vessel will be powered by four dual-fuel engines running on LNG as the primary fuel to significantly reduce emissions. The superyachts also have an efficient heat recovery system, LED lighting and other features to reduce the environmental impact.
While BIO-UV Group has an established relationship with Chantiers de l’Atlantique, going back to 2015, having delivered BWTS units for installation to cruise ships and military vessels, ’Ilma’ and ’Luminara’ are the first projects undertaken for Ritz Carlton Yacht Collection.
BIO UV Group’s Technical Director, Florian Cortes, added: “For the operator and crew, BIO-SEA operation and UV dosage is automatically controlled, and treatment performance is not impacted by either water temperature or salinity.
“The compact skid systems selected for the Ritz Carlton Yacht Collection also incorporate a user-friendly interface for operational and maintenance simplicity,” he said.
