Innovative Anti-Heeling Ballast Pump for Jumbo
Pentair’s Fairbanks Nijhuis will produce and deliver various pumps, including two BiFlow pumps (anti-heeling ballast pumps) for the two new heavy lift vessels being built by Jumbo at the Croatian ship yard Brodosplit. Jumbo is specialised in the transport of heavy and/or large cargo over sea. The K-class vessels, currently under construction, will be able to lift 3,000t when operational. During loading and offloading the anti-heeling and ballast system is in full operation and mainly responsible for the speed of the process. The innovative BiFlow pumps enable Jumbo to ballast quickly and save considerable costs as they dramatically reduce time in port, which can be very expensive. In addition, the BiFlow pumps save space, as they can be installed in the double bottom of the ship.
Making use of their specialised knowledge and experience in this field, Fairbanks Nijhuis responds to the market demand for increasing lift capabilities, resulting in this new generation of anti-heeling/ballast pumps for large capacities: the BiFlow pump. Compared to more traditional systems, the new ballast system delivers a much-improved performance for time efficiency, money and space conservation, stability, and safety, thus offering a sustainable solution.
The BiFlow pump operates and pumps in two directions and achieves the same high efficiency in both directions. The pump is used where several ballast pumps would be required in a traditional situation to achieve the same capacity, with at least four valves to determine the direction of flow. With the BiFlow Pump all of this is past tense.
In addition, the BiFlow pump saves space, since it can be installed in the double bottom of the ship and thus does not need to be positioned in the pump or engine room. This means less pipework and fewer valves are required, saving considerably on costs.