ACO Chile will supply the 100th unit, a Clarimar MF-3, for retrofit installation to Lautaro (ATF-67), a 1973-built 58.3m tugboat operated by the Armada de Chile. The contract marks a breakthrough for ACO Marine in Chile’s naval and commercial maritime sectors.
Alexandre Fouquet, Business Development Manager, ACO Spa, said: “The order is an important development for ACO Marine in the Chilean shipping industry. This contract, secured through our agent Altair SA, is a good start for ACO Marine products in this area.”
Juan E. Lynch, Managing Director, Altair SA, said: “As a major supplier of equipment to the Chilean maritime market for over 25 years, we have obtained approval from the Maritime Authority DGTM to supply ACO Marine’s Clarimar MF range of black and grey water treatment plants to the Naval sector.”
He also highlighted thepotential for ACO Marine wastewater treatment system installations tothe increasing number of house-boats that are being built to meet a market demand for affordable housing.
Commenting on the market acceptance of the new Clarimar MF, ACO Marine managing director Mark Beavis said: “That a new wastewater treatment system can penetrate what is an already established market in just two-and-a-half years is testament to the ability of ACO Marine’s engineering team to design a system capable of meeting market demand for a smaller, safer and cost-effective wastewater treatment solution.”
“There was no point continuing with the previous version of the Clarimar as it was similar to other systems on the market that adopt conventional technology. We developed a completely new technology. So, for us to come in with the Clarimar MF and take orders from more established brands in a relatively short time frame is a remarkable achievement.”
The biological-type ACO Clarimar MF system and its pollution-preventing “bio-sword” innovation were officially introduced during Hamburg’s SMM exhibition, in September 2014.
“We needed to develop a wastewater treatment concept that was not only smaller, safer and more cost-effective than our competitors, but also a system that provided a physical barrier against pollution and illegal,or accidental,discharges. That is exactly what we have achieved with the Clarimar MF,” said Beavis.
“Balancing foot-print, corrosion-resistance and safety with reliability and price is what sets the MF apart from other systems but this is not simply hyperbole; we back up our claims with a life-time guarantee against corrosion of the tank.”
While the Clarimar MF is available in various sizes to meet the differing capacity requirements of all commercial vessel segments, the supply of its 100th unit to a tugboat is indicative of a new and important market sector for ACO Marine.
In January this year, the German-headquartered company supplied three of its smallest Clarimar MF units to Ukraine-based Nibulon Shipbuilding and Repair Yard for installation aboard a series of high specification project tugs.
Clarimar MF-0.5 units will also be supplied for retrofit installation later this year to the tugboats Ocean Sparkle and Ocean Spirit.
ViraMaritime.com