Upswing in overseas orders for Cathelco Seafresh desalinators

Cathelco Seafresh, the specialists in reverse osmosis desalinators, have received a series of orders for their watermakers which will be installed on vessels operating in India, Dubai and the United Kingdom.

The company, formerly known as Seafresh Desalinators, was acquired by Cathelco in April 2010. A major aim was to transform Seafresh into a globally recognised brand name using the resources of Cathelco’s international network of agents.

This strategy is proving to be effective, demonstrated by the fact that one of the latest orders has come from Prince Marine Transport in Mumbai whose new offshore support vessel is being built at the Timblo Drydocks in Goa. The order was won by Arico Marine, Cathelco’s well established agent in India.

The 70 metre vessel, due for delivery in August, will be fitted with a Cathelco Seafresh ‘Ton’ desalinator. This has the capacity to produce up to 25 tonnes of freshwater per day for drinking, washing and cleaning requirements.

One of the advantages of the ‘Ton’ desalinators is that they have a relatively small ‘footprint’ and come in three modular frames that can fit together in various combinations for ease of installation. In this case, the unit was supplied in horizontal form occupying an area 1600mm (length) x 800mm (width) x 1050mm (height).

Another desalinator order has been received from SMIT Transport Europe for installation on the SMIT Kamara an offshore support and handling vessel based in Dubai.

The 70 metre vessel will be fitted with a Cathelco Seafresh ‘Ton’ unit with the capacity to produce up to 20 tonnes of fresh water per day. The order has been received via Nicoverken, Cathelco’s agent in Holland.

The desalinator for the SMIT Kamara will have an integral chemical dosing tank. This simplifies the maintenance of the unit by enabling preserving and cleaning chemicals to be introduced with the minimum effort.

In the UK, Cathelco Seafresh are supplying a ‘Ton’ desalinator for the Sea Surveyor, a multi-role survey vessel operated out of Aberdeen by Gardline Marine Services.

The installation will involve the removal of a number of smaller desalinators and their replacement with the single ‘Ton’ unit which has the capacity to produce up to 10 tonnes of potable water per day. This follows the successful installation of Seafresh units on a number of other Gardline vessels including the Ocean Endeavour.

“Since the acquisition by Cathelco, the aim has been to increase Seafresh sales outside of the UK market using the strength of Cathelco’s international network of agents. We have already seen an upswing in overseas orders and our aim is to double sales during the coming year”, said Chris Bell, general manager of Cathelco Seafresh.

Cathelco are best known for their world leading seawater pipework anti-fouling systems which have been installed on more than 30,000 vessels over a period of 50 years. The company also produce ICCP hull corrosion protection systems which are used on commercial and naval vessels of every type.