Evac launches waste management system for smaller vessels

Evac Group – a specialist in cleantech solutions for marine and land-based applications – has launched Dehydro, a waste management system designed for smaller vessels. The Finland-based firm says the Dehydro waste management system uses dehydration technology to reduce wet waste volume by approximately 80 per cent.

Onboard waste treatment systems typically require high waste volumes to be cost-effective, limiting options for smaller vessels. Dehydro is said to provide an alternative by reducing waste volume and minimising the need for overboard discharge or offloading to land-based facilities. The system is compact and suited to vessels producing between 50 and 1,000 kg of wet waste per day, including small merchant vessels, OSVs, ferries, passenger vessels and large yachts.

Dehydro transforms wet waste into a sterile, dry powder, eliminating the need for further treatment and simplifying offloading. The system supports compliance with increasing environmental regulations, including MARPOL Annex IV and Annex V, EU waste management rules on port reception facilities, and national waste disposal standards.

Björn Ullbro, chief executive officer of Evac Group, says: “Direct discharge of untreated waste poses a serious threat to aquatic life by depleting oxygen levels. Most onboard waste treatment systems require high volumes to be cost-effective, leaving smaller vessels without viable options. With increasing regulatory pressures, owners are calling for more innovative and sustainable solutions to the challenge of onboard waste treatment and storage. Dehydro answers that call, with advanced dehydration technology to operators of smaller vessels.”

He adds: “The launch of this product marks a key moment for Evac. Traditionally, innovation in our industry meant developing a great product and then bringing it to market. This time, we reversed that. We started with the customer’s operational reality and identified the best solutions on the market. Complementing in-house innovation with strong partnerships is a clear example of how we’re delivering on our ambition to offer the industry’s most comprehensive water and waste management portfolio.”

The launch of Dehydro follows stricter waste disposal regulations aimed at protecting marine ecosystems. Many smaller vessels rely on older disposal methods, either discharging waste into the sea where permitted or transporting it to shore, both of which have environmental and financial impacts. Stricter regulations and the expansion of Marpol Special Areas place additional obligations on vessels operating in these locations.

Evac – which has waste management systems installed on over 20,000 vessels worldwide – claims Dehydro also reduces emissions from waste transport by up to 85 per cent compared to landfilling.