Aquaworx announces conclusion of groundbreaking agreement with profits of up to EUR 180 million forecast by the year 2020
2009/04/30
Munich, 30 April 09 – Aquaworx AG, an associated company of PlasmaSelect AG, is entering the global nautical ballast water treatment market and today has signed a joint venture agreement with Aalborg Industries A/S (Denmark) to this effect. The joint venture is calculated to bring Aquaworx net profits of EUR 180 million by the year 2020, made up of agreed royalties on sales (approx. EUR 110 million) and profit.-sharing (approx. EUR 70 million). The contractual partner of Aquaworx AG, a developer of innovative disinfection and filtration treatments for water and liquids, is Aalborg Industries Group (2,700 employees; 2008 sales: EUR 452.5 million), a leading provider of steam, thermal and safety solutions for marine and maritime oil and gas applications. The joint venture will be headquartered in Singapore and will receive the exclusive distribution rights for the platform technology developed by Aquaworx AG for ballast water treatment in the nautical sector. Aquaworx AG will hold 40% of shares in the joint venture and Aalborg Industries Group the remaining 60%. In compensation for its development costs, Aquaworx will receive graduated payments of EUR 2 million. The revenues given are based on a business plan which forms a constituent part of the joint venture agreement. The global ballast water treatment market has an estimated volume of EUR 21 billion.
“The joint venture has now opened up the world market for ballast water treatment systems to us, which we will develop through our strong global presence”, commented Jan Vestergaard, President and CEO of the Aalborg Industries Group. “The AquaTriComb platform is perfectly suited to all types of ships – from luxury cruise liners such as Queen Mary II, to top class tankers. We firmly believe that we will be able to attain a worldwide market share of 30% in ballast water treatment. The new joint venture has given us the necessary structures and conditions.”
“The Aalborg Industries Group is the perfect partner for Aquaworx”, explained Peter Falk, managing director of Aquaworx Deutschland GmbH. “The group is one of the leading global suppliers of highly complex and tailored solutions for container ships, tankers, bulk cargo transporters, cruise liners, RORO and car transporters. The strong international presence of Aalborg, combined with Aquaworx’s leading technology platform, will ensure that the new joint venture will soon become established as one of the leading global players in a multi-billion euro market. Aquaworx, in combination with Aalborg Industries. will clearly distinguish itself from its numerous international competitors.”
For ballast water treatment, Aquaworx AG relies on a technology that is based on a combination of UV radiation and ultrasound within one system. The technology eliminates germs and inhibits their reproduction. AquaTriCombTM (ATC) works without the use or generation of chemicals. Compared with other methods, energy requirements are relatively low. Thanks to the use of ultrasound, the system cleans itself and requires virtually no maintenance. In accordance with the worldwide specifications of the IMO, ballast water treatment systems such as AquaTriCombTM are making an important contribution to the preservation of our oceans by preventing the advancing “global transport” of organisms and microorganisms to environments where they don’t belong: ballast water will be filtered and disinfected in accordance with strict standards as it is ballasted. According to estimates, some 50,000 ocean-going ships currently transport around 12 billion tons of ballast water per year worldwide while at the same time transporting thousands of species (organisms such as plankton, shellfish, mussels etc.) as “stowaways”. The effects of this so-called microbe tourism on different ecosystems are quite unpredictable.
“Green technology” works entirely without chemicals and residue
AquaTriCombTM works without leaving residues: even the plant’s filtrate is disinfected without the use of chemicals. The CIP method (cleaning in place) prevents contamination even during downtime. The ATC plants are in operation both when the ballast water is ballasted and deballasted, and contain no mechanical elements whatsoever. Given the small amount of space required by the Aquaworx ATC systems and their modular design, the systems are also ideally suited for refitting into existing ships.
The system’s high efficiency and low operating costs, as well as the small amount of space required for installation on board, are also impressive. Given the use of ultrasound, the plant components are self-cleaning and therefore generally low-maintenance, another factor that lowers overall operating costs. Another special feature of the Aquaworx solution is the fact that the water passes through the system again during deballasting. This efficiently eliminates any germs and bacteria that are in the ships’ inaccessible ballast water tanks and drains. The only water to return to the ocean is thus disinfected water treated in accordance with the legal requirements.
About the Aalborg Industries Group
Aalborg Industries, Aalborg, Denmark, is a group of companies operating around the globe, with subsidiaries in Denmark, Finland, the Netherlands, Dubai, Singapore, Japan, China, Korea, Brazil, Vietnam, Australia, and the USA. Additionally, a network of partners supports the group's sales activities. The revenue outside Denmark accounts for 95% of the total revenue. In 2008, Aalborg Industries generated revenue amounting to DKK 3.371 million and EBITDA of DKK 476 million.
Apart from the group's own production plants in Denmark, China, Brazil, and Vietnam, Aalborg Industries cooperates with external manufacturers. In 2008, the group had some 2,700 employees worldwide.
The core business of Aalborg Industries involves the development and manufacturing of steam, heat, and safety solutions for marine oil and gas applications, which includes steam boilers, boilers for hot exhaust gases, thermal oil heaters, burners, control systems, heat exchangers, and inert systems. In addition to the activities in global marine and offshore markets, Aalborg Industries supplies boilers and industries to mainland-based industries.
Further information about Aalborg Industries is available at www.aalborg-industries.com.
About Aquaworx
Aquaworx AG, headquartered in Arbon, Switzerland, is a subsidiary of PlasmaSelect AG, Munich, Germany. By means of the development and production of water and fluid disinfection and filtration technologies (patent pending) at the Marina Horn plant on Lake Constance, Switzerland, the company makes a substantial contribution to efficient resource management. The platform technology’s method of operation is based on the brilliant combination of UV radiation and ultrasound into one system, which efficiently eliminates germs and prevents their reproduction. The Aquaworx product family combines continuous high performance with a level of efficiency previously unknown in the branch. The primary application areas in the field of water and filtration include drinking water and wastewater treatment, filtration of fluids, ballast water treatment in the nautical sector, treatment of pool, drinking, and process water in summer residences and Legionella prevention in nursing homes, hospitals, and hotel facilities. Global sales are handled by Munich-based Aquaworx Deutschland GmbH.
Further information is available at www.aquaworx.de.
