ERMA FIRST was established in 2009 by a team of experts with a strong background and solid knowledge in waste and water treatment technology for marine applications. Driven by the needs of shipowners and stricter environmental protection legislation, the company started designing and manufacturing innovative BWTS. Having been successfully tested in some of the most stringent test facilities, ERMA FIRST systems are certified and have been awarded for technological achievement many times over the years.

Today, ERMA FIRST with a constantly growing number of employees, a global footprint and more than 2500 systems installed onboard, it is considered a global leader in the BWTS market. In a short period of time, the company has successfully worked on numerous projects in shipyards in China, Korea, Japan as well as other areas.

ERMA FIRST’s global after-sales network already encompasses locations in the USA, Canada, China, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Panama, UAE, India, Turkey, Greece, Cyprus, France, Romania, Poland, Latvia and Ukraine. In addition, ERMA FIRST has signed strategic partnerships with leading shipyards such as DAMEN to provide its ballast water treatment solutions to clients, as well as with MAN-ES and N-KOM to provide after-sales technical support to vessels equipped with ERMA FIRST ballast water treatment systems in Northern Europe and Qatar, respectively.

“Customers drive our business” said Mrs. Polychronopoulou and believes that customer support is the Alpha and Omega in order to be the “leading BWTS manufacturer globally, meeting every customer need with simplicity, efficiency and reliability. Sustainability, Innovation and Trust are our core elements”. She furthermore said that “our after-sales service delivers unparalleled customer support. These allow us to commit confidently to always deliver on our promise to the customer”.

ERMA FIRST develops cutting edge BWTS solutions and sets the standard for effective ballast water treatment with superior operational readiness, build quality and ease of use and according to Mrs. Polychronopoulou “We are one of the top manufacturers worldwide in terms of quality & sales with a significant number of contracted and installed systems. We work with some of the most prestigious names in the shipping industry and are committed to providing long term cooperation and support to our customers, whatever their size.”

ERMA FIRST FIT BWTS has optimised power consumption, leading into a very low-level average. The power application is constantly adjusted according to the given concentrations of the in situ produced chlorine. At the same time, the high efficiency power supplies – along with the design and materials selected on electrolysers – reduces any unnecessary power losses. Moreover, ‘same operational mode’ covers all kinds of waters and IMO or USCG regulations.

ERMA FIRST has shown significant growth since its establishment and the proof-point is the business acquisitions over the last years. METIS Cyberspace Technology was acquired in 2019, followed by two consecutive acquisitions in 2021, including RWO GmbH, the globally leading German water treatment specialist and oneTANK, the world’s smallest, simplest and lowest cost BWTS, fully type-approved by IMO & USCG, integrating a patented mixing technology by USGS. These major acquisitions position ERMA FIRST as a top tier, global provider of environmental protection systems.

Environment FIRST and Ready for Decarbonisation 2030 said Mrs. Polychronopoulou. “For us at ERMA FIRST, the marine environment is not just the area we operate in, it is the area we live in. We believe in sustainability and we are dedicated to a higher purpose of preserving and protecting the marine ecosystem globally. This purpose underpins all our operations – it is the reason we exist”. Closing she mentions, “We engineer by purpose. We innovate by nature. We are always sustainable. At ERMA FIRST, our promise translates into customer value and meaningful benefits”