green corals under water

Globally, the maritime industry is worth over $430 billion in goods and services, plus an estimated additional $24 billion for the cruise ship sector alone.

This vast infrastructure is responsible for the transportation of 90% of our worldwide imports and exports with the safe and efficient running of vessels and systems reliant on the nearly 2 million seafarers who keep everything moving. They routinely work in demanding and often dangerous conditions, all to ensure a stable and continuous service and supply chain for others.

To create a consistent level of work and a manageable, safe and practical working environment, their basic needs for food, safety, comfort and water must be met and maintained. But this can be difficult at sea with its inherent risks and complexities.

Understanding the Issues

Reliable and plentiful sources of fresh food and safe drinking water are two of the primary concerns in the management of ocean going vessels, whether they are carrying goods or passengers.

Added to this is the very pressing need to look for and implement more sustainable solutions in all areas of the maritime industry, not least of all the provision of perishable supplies and fresh drinking water.

There is a growing desire on all fronts, from vessel owners and ship management companies to travelers and seafarers, to find sustainable answers to older and increasingly outdated and unsustainable approaches.

Marine water solutions are the perfect prism through which to examine some of these issues and a way to explore the potential of securing more sustainable industry-wide practices.

In many cases, the primary supply of drinking water onboard is via bottled water, which is usually in individual plastic bottles or through larger water dispenser systems that also use plastic containers. These may also come shrink-wrapped in an additional layer of plastic wrapping for ease of transport and hygiene reasons, which adds to the build-up of plastic and non-recyclable waste.

The extensive and deeply troubling issue of plastic waste in the oceans is never out of the news and this large-scale consumption of ‘single serving’ water in small bottles is inherently problematic.

Water bottling plants and the global transportation of millions of plastic bottles also have their own negative environmental impacts.

When onboard water supplies are not primarily from bottled water, then a large volume of clean drinking water needs to be pumped onto the ship via hoses from shore or by using water boats or barges. It then needs to be stored safely onboard for use as needed throughout the voyage. Contamination is a huge potential issue here, with supplies coming from local and municipal sources at the port and a complex network of connections to move the water from land to ship.

Seafarers at sea for long periods can be exposed to harmful pathogens when their only source of water is through this process of pumping and onboard storage.

It is important to note that while bottled water and onboard mass water storage are the two most common methods to provide drinking water onboard, some vessels are now equipped to create and provide their own safe, drinkable water using sustainable resources like rain or seawater.

Can Marine Water Solutions be Sustainable?

The answer to this is that yes, they simply have to be. Continuing with expensive, unsustainable, and potentially unsafe onboard marine water solutions like bottled water and water pumped from ports is not in the long-term best interests of anyone in the marine industry.

Crews and seafarers need access to regular, safe drinking water, and many vessels are now switching to filtration and reverse osmosis (RO) processes that offer a more sustainable, environmentally friendly, and long-lasting solution.

Reverse osmosis works by treating the available water supply to ensure it is safe to drink. Harmful contaminants like chlorine and/or heavy metals, including lead, mercury, and arsenic, are removed, and any potential bacteria or pathogens are eliminated in the process as well. Water can be stored onboard or can be collected from rainfall before being treated, creating a much more sustainable marine water solution that requires less financial expenditure on bottled water and mitigates negative environmental impact from waste plastics entering the ocean.

Filtration systems that clean and render water supplies safe to drink, can often be installed and maintained by onboard crew, keeping costs down and maintenance times to a minimum. In addition, they are often able to retain any minerals that crew and passengers need in their drinking water, for example, magnesium, calcium, zinc, and fluoride.

Alongside the installation of more environmentally friendly and cost effective marine water solutions like RO and filtration systems, vessel owners and ship management companies have also investigated and found benefits in other sustainable methods.

These include issuing refillable steel bottles to crew and personnel, further limiting the need for water in plastic bottles, and dramatically reducing their negative environmental impact.

Final Thoughts

The issues of creating truly sustainable marine water solutions for seafarers and passengers will continue to develop and hopefully evolve over the coming years, but RO and filtration systems to safely treat onboard water are a great start and have already secured a vast reduction in the need for water in plastic bottles. They also offer a rapid return on investment, with savings on bottled water and water pumped from shore almost immediately evident.

Filtration systems that can be installed, maintained, and repaired by onboard crew help to create safe potable water that is efficient, reliable, cost-effective, and more environmentally conscious.

For ship management firms and vessel owners looking to make a sizeable impact on reducing their plastic consumption and waste and their financial outgoings on single use plastic consumables, sustainable marine water systems offer a huge number of benefits.