The Greek supplier group Erma First, which has also owned the German brand RWO since 2021, is expanding with another takeover: Ecochlor also specialises in ballast water treatment systems.
Erma First has already successfully completed the acquisition of Ecochlor, as the company has now announced. This strengthens the company’s position “as a reliable provider of ballast water treatment and modern decarbonisation solutions”. Specifically, the acquisition expands the range of ballast water treatment systems (BWTS) and associated services under one market-leading umbrella.
“We are committed to protecting and preserving the marine ecosystem by continuously developing and expanding the Erma First portfolio of innovative and future-proof environmental protection solutions,” said Eleni Polychronopoulou, President of Erma First Group.
Ecochlor’s BWTS portfolio includes a filtration and ClO2-based system and two versions of the EcoOne solution. The first is a filterless system that uses only ClO2 and consumes only 10-20 kilowatts of electricity, even at very high flow rates. The second hybrid system operates either with a two-stage filtration and ClO2 process or with filterless, ClO2-only operation, depending on the shipowner’s requirements.
The Ecochlor BWTS reportedly secured its market position by using a low dose of the company’s proprietary chlorine dioxide (ClO2) solution, EcoBlue, to treat ballast water in a highly efficient one- or two-stage process. EcoBlue is the “world’s only chemical approved for use in ecochlor systems with IMO and USCG Type Approval Certificates, meaning compliance with IMO and USCG discharge standards is assured in every operation,” it says.
Erma First‘s global reach will further strengthen the system’s established chemical supply and service network, it added. Konstantinos Stampedakis, co-founder and managing director at Erma First, emphasised that all installed Ecochlor systems are eligible for certified service even after the acquisition, provided it is ensured that original spare parts and EcoBlue were used in the customer’s previous maintenance. If approved components are not used, the certifications may become invalid.
