HomeScienco InTank™ BWTS Review: Filterless Ballast Compliance that protects your schedule

Scienco InTank™ BWTS Review: Filterless Ballast Compliance that protects your schedule

December 15, 2025

Scienco® InTank™ is pitched as a “compliance without compromise” ballast water treatment option for owners who hate filters, port-time surprises and marginal retrofit space. It treats ballast water in the tank during voyage using sodium hypochlorite dosing and in-tank recirculation, so you ballast and deballast normally in port while still hitting USCG and IMO (Revised G8) requirements.

Scienco/FAST • InTank BWTS: Fenton, Missouri base
200 Sun Valley Cir, Fenton, MO 63026, United States
Scienco InTank Benefits
  • In-voyage treatment, normal port operations: InTank treats ballast water in the tanks while the vessel is at sea, using a circulation loop and sodium hypochlorite dosing. You ballast and deballast as usual in port, without extra treatment steps competing with cargo operations.
  • No filters to clog or backflush: The system is filterless, which removes a major operational pain point in challenging waters. There is no filter backflushing, fewer moving parts and less sensitivity to sediment or high solids during intake.
  • USCG and IMO Revised G8 type approved: InTank holds both US Coast Guard and IMO (BWMS Code / Revised G8) type approvals, with capacities up to very large flows. That gives technical and compliance teams a single system that meets the main regulatory regimes.
  • Lower power demand in port: Because treatment happens in-tank during voyage, power demand in port is minimal compared with inline treatment systems. This matters when shore power, reefer loads and cranes are already close to your available margin.
  • Retrofit flexibility for older tonnage: With treatment hardware separated from ballast lines and no large filters in line, there can be more freedom to place modules where space and structure allow. That can simplify retrofits on older ships and heavy-lift or offshore units with complex ballast layouts.
  • Robust CT-based treatment logic: The system uses a concentration–time (CT) approach, monitoring TRO in the tank and allowing re-dosing as needed to hit target values. This helps maintain performance even when ballast water quality and oxidant demand vary between ports.
  • Options for shared or portable use: With InTankFITT containerised variants, the same core technology can be deployed as a portable system shared between project vessels, barges or other units that ballast infrequently, which can be more economical than one fixed BWTS per hull.
  • Backed by a water-treatment OEM: InTank sits inside Scienco/FAST, a BioMicrobics subsidiary that has long experience with marine sanitation and water treatment systems, so support and spares are tied into an existing global water-technology organisation.
  • Learn more from the source: For technical documentation, reference lists and animations of how the system works, owners can go directly to the InTank BWTS product pages. InTank BWTS overview .
Notes: This callout is a planning lens, not a substitute for your yard, class and flag conversations. Always align CT-values, dosing chemicals, holding times and power demand with the specifics of your ships, trades and retrofit windows.
Notable mentions and external references
A snapshot of where InTank shows up in trade press, interviews and product directories.
  • InTank BWTS adds to Scienco/FAST’s marine capabilities The Maritime Executive
    Corporate feature explaining how InTank’s in-tank, filterless process treats and neutralises ballast water during voyage and why Scienco/FAST added it to their marine portfolio. Read the article .
  • Q&A: Ballast Water Management Market Matures MarineLink
    Interview piece where Scienco/FAST discusses InTank adoption, particularly on semi-submersibles and project vessels that value in-tank treatment and controlled regrowth. See the Q&A .
  • BWMS Webinar: Inside the InTank Solution Maritime Professional / MarineLink
    Webinar listing focused on the InTank approach to treating and neutralising ballast water in-tank during voyage, pitched at owners and yards comparing options. Ballast water treatment news page .
  • InTank: a BWTS solution for semi-submersibles HeavyLift & Project Forwarding
    Sector-focused article describing how a filterless, in-tank BWTS like InTank can fit the ballasting profile and operational constraints of semi-submersible heavy-lift vessels. Read the case-style piece .
  • Product listings and technical directories MarShip / Environmental-Expert / NauticExpo
    Multiple product and technical directories carry InTank listings, emphasising its filter-free, in-voyage treatment, IMO & USCG type approval and suitability across tanker, bulker, heavy-lift and semi-sub fleets. MarShip product page  |  Environmental-Expert listing  |  NauticExpo overview .
This list is illustrative, not exhaustive. It shows InTank discussed as a distinct, filterless option alongside more conventional inline ballast water treatment systems.
Inline vs InTank downtime planner
Roughly compare the cost of ballast-water-related delays with a conventional inline system versus a filterless, in-tank approach like Scienco InTank.
Your ballasting picture
Sister ships or a segment (e.g. heavy-lift, semi-subs, larger tankers) where BWTS behaviour is similar.
Use TCE, project day rate or an internal “value of time” for that fleet slice.
Days lost to filter clogging, bad water, re-treatments, inspections or system faults.
Include any extra time for circulation, neutralisation or troubleshooting that impacts schedule.
Take total additional cost of choosing InTank over baseline (capex spread over years + opex delta).
Planning tool only. Replace defaults with your own incident logs, day values and cost assumptions for a more realistic view.
Indicative annual impact
Delay days avoided per year
0.0
Value of delay days avoided
$0
Net benefit after extra InTank cost
$0
Implied ROI on extra cost
—
Category Calculated value
Inline BWTS delay days per year (fleet) 0.0 days
InTank delay days per year (fleet) 0.0 days
Delay days avoided per year (fleet) 0.0 days
Value of avoided delay days (fleet) $0
Annualised extra InTank capex / opex $0
Net annual benefit (value – extra cost) $0
Net benefit per vessel in scope $0
Use this to frame internal discussions with tech, fleet and finance — not as a final investment case.

For owners, the Scienco InTank story is less about chasing a “clever” piece of kit and more about deciding how much ballast-water-driven disruption you are willing to tolerate between drydockings. If your logbooks show recurring port delays, filter alarms or inspection anxiety around ballast, the in-tank, filterless model gives you a different way to think about compliance: treat during voyage, neutralise before discharge, and arrive with ballast already under control. The mentions panel and downtime planner are there to help you sense-check whether that shift is worth exploring on your own fleet segment, using your actual day rates, incident history and retrofit constraints.

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By the ShipUniverse Editorial Team — About Us | Contact