Revolutionising Shipboard Sanitation 

An all-natural, eco-friendly alternative to sanitising chemicals could
change the way we clean vessels and sanitise domestic water onboard.
We speak to Aquarex’s Jesper Bak Weller to find out how.

In an era defined by sustainability and environmental awareness, innovation is crucial for industries seeking a cleaner, more eco-friendly future. As one of the industries whose impact is most keenly felt on the environment, the maritime sector has sought change in every facet of its operations. 

While big ticket change to fuels and energy consumption grab the headlines, adjustments to everyday practices and products can have a big impact on a vessel’s carbon footprint and to its operator’s bottom line as well as numerous HSSEQ benefits

Take ship sanitation for example. Keeping a ship clean and disinfected is essential for ensuring the safety of passengers, crew and efficient operations. But doing so without using chemicals and cost-effectively – so how do you solve that problem?

“Electrolysed water (HOCL) is the answer,” says Aquarex’s Jesper Bak Weller. “Basically anywhere you want to eliminate bacteria and viruses, it will disinfect but without harsh chemicals or harm to the environment. 

Electrolysed water is produced by adding salt to water and giving it an electric charge to produce hypochlorous acid or HOCL, which is a potent sanitiser. This all-natural, eco-friendly alternative to sanitising chemicals is not only super effective, but also super safe. Could it revolutionise the way ships are cleaned?

Electrolysed water (HOCL) is the answer. Anywhere you want to eliminate bacteria and viruses, it will disinfect but without harsh chemicals or harm to the environment. Electrolysed water is produced by adding salt to water and giving it an electric charge to produce hypochlorous acid or HOCL, which is a potent sanitiser. This all-natural, eco-friendly alternative to sanitising chemicals is not only super effective, but also super safe

“We thinks so,” says Jesper. “Our Aquarex E240 unit makes electrolysed water onsite instantly and ready for use. It is compact and easy to install. Basically, the salt is added to the small transparent plastic container in the cabinet. The E240 will add water from the vessels fresh water system, mix and electrolyse the water. 

“It means that you can produce sanitiser in large quantities, three to five litres per minute, where you need it and when you need it. There are no harsh chemicals, no alcohol, nothing toxic, nothing dangerous or flammable. You just add water and salt and you have the most effective sanitiser in the world.”

For an industry battling a plastic epidemic, it neatly removes one of the most common forms of single-use plastic on board vessels, while simultaneously eradicating a large chunk of the logistics chain. When extrapolated across an entire fleet, that’s a huge environmental win. It’s something that traditional chemical manufacturers can’t compete with.

“Traditional chemical manufacturers want to produce in big batches to supply ship chandlers and other distribution networks around the world. We think the industry is ready to produce-on-board and on-demand. 

“So that means you don’t need to produce-on-board for six months or one year’s consumption You want to produce what you need every day or every week. It’s much more efficient and much more cost-effective.”

Indeed it is. Jesper says that one of Aquarex’s clients has seen a return on investment after just six months. That’s partly through cost-efficient production onboard and also through saving in the logistics chain. So how does that look when it’s scaled across an entire fleet?

“The saving could be huge, but that obviously also depends on how you use it. The whole idea to equip your whole fleet with this equipment and take away all chlorine, pesticide and peroxide products and use this instead to kill bacteria, virus and fungi. This is only the tip of the iceberg, when you dig into all HSSEQ benefits there is no doubt this makes so much sense.

You can produce sanitiser in large quantities, three to five litres per minute, where you need it and when you need it. There are no harsh chemicals, no alcohol, nothing toxic, nothing dangerous or flammable. You just add water and salt and you have the most effective sanitiser in the world

“But with any change of old habits there is resistance and that requires education. HOCL doesn’t smell like a traditional cleaning product, there’s no citrus smell or bright colours that you’d get with common chemicals. But it works. When it comes to killing bacteria it is 80-100 times more effective than traditional chlorine.”

That resistance is to be expected, especially when you subvert norms. The solution is partly down to education and partly down to continually demonstrating the benefits of what you are doing – the latter is especially important if the industry is going to meet its environmental targets.

“The industry is resistant, but the industry also consists of various sectors,” Jesper says. “the cruise ships, where they have a lot of people on board, have seen the obvious benefits right away. When it comes to the merchant fleet, where everything is a bit slower to move, the benefits may not seem as obvious. 

“Often that’s a case of educating the crew, who might be resistant to changing processes on board. Owners and managers are for many good reasons sensitive to crew habits. So sometimes it’s easier to do what they always did. However, it is actually possible to turn around a supertanker, it just takes a little more time – we are offering ourself on crew seminars, we produce input to shipping companies internal info campaigns, communicate directly with vessels and vessel managements etc. We have seen multiple times that change of old sanitiser habits is possible.

While resistance to change is expected in any industry, the benefits of this technology, including significant cost savings and environmental advantages, make it an ideal solution for revolutionising ship cleaning. Education and continuous demonstration of the benefits are essential to overcoming resistance and meeting the industry’s environmental targets.

Jesper Bak Weller
Founding Partner
AQUAREX International Ltd.

https://aquarex-international.com