Legionella water treatment solutions for cruise ships should be a crucial strategic component in public safety, regardless of where they navigate around the world. Cruise ships are entirely responsible for the protection of this water, including Legionella growth control and prevention, and should anything happen; the consequences can be massive. Getting potable water onto cruise ships can be a complex and technology-intensive process. Saltwater is desalinated and then treated to be used in showers, toilets, kitchens, and many other applications.
With all of the equipment and plumbing required to convert seawater into potable drinking water and the known buildup of biofilm within the potable water distribution networks, cruise ships can quickly become a breeding ground for Legionella bacterium. Protect your passengers, employees, and your reputation, by taking a proactive approach and killing legionella before it becomes a problem.
A single legionella outbreak must be publically disclosed. In today’s world of reviews and online social networks, this news will quickly spread and result in potentially massive costs that can be difficult to recover from. In some cases, insurance companies have attempted to avoid covering these outbreaks and have taken companies to court. The cost to your bottom line can be huge, not only from the immediate cost of reimbursing affected passengers, but also from the potential for regulatory fines, investigations, criminal negligence related charges and litigation. Plus, it can be a public relations nightmare that can damage your reputation, brand and long term revenue for years to come.
Take a proactive approach with CSIDefender® solutions. Copper Silver Ionization (CSI) legionella prevention works by releasing positively charged copper and silver ions into the ship’s potable water systems. These ions bond with legionella bacteria and penetrate the biofilm where legionella bloom, leaving your water safer for passengers to use. Reduce your Legionella exposure risk as part of your ASHRAE 188 Legionella Prevention Standards recommendation and maintain a safe environment for passengers with the CSIDefender®.
Cruise ships carry thousands of passengers and employees at a time, all requiring a safe supply of potable water. When you’re out in the open seas, you simply cannot afford to have a legionella outbreak. CSIDefender® is engineered and manufactured in North America from quality materials and boasts a 99.99% uptime so you don’t need to worry about a failure when away from port. And with easy to implement monthly preventative maintenance requirements, you can keep CSIDefender® up and running for years even under the harshest conditions.
Cruise ships are self-contained and must manage their energy and resource requirements at all times. Thermal-eradication, one of the most common ways to kill legionella, requires a large amount of wasted energy to heat water above 140°F. Chemical treatments using chlorine or chlorine dioxide require on-site chemical storage which adds additional space and cost requirements. And both only provide 3-6 weeks of effective treatment before they need to be done again. UV lights provide no residual and have no effect on biofilm where Legionella normally grows. CSI technologies work continuously, provide residual protection and feature a smaller technology footprint making them ideal for cruise ships.
With so much salt water, critical water distribution infrastructure on cruise ships can be vulnerable to corrosion. Traditional treatments such as Thermal-eradication and chemical flushes can speed up this damage and lead to increased repairs and maintenance. And every crack is another place where biofilm can take hold and harbor legionella growth, actually increasing the risk of infection. Because CSIDefender® works in all water temperatures and requires no chemicals, it doesn’t damage plumbing infrastructure, and it saturates biofilm to stop legionella where it is normally protected and grows.
A single publically disclosed Legionella outbreak can severely damage your reputation, leading to a public relations nightmare and a long term reduction in passengers and revenue. And this is on top of the immediate costs of reimbursements, emergency response, investigations, and potential litigation. Instead of taking the risk, you can take a proactive approach and mitigate the chance of an outbreak occurring entirely.
Cruise ships are a unique environment, and because they produce their own potable water onboard, they have unique water treatment requirements. CSIDefender® copper silver ionization system is the safe, reliable, and effective solution for preventing the growth of legionella.
Legionnaires’ disease is a severe form of pneumonia caused by the Legionella bacterium. Known to grow in larger water distribution networks such as those found in cruise ships to then becomes aerosolized via showerheads, faucets, or other means such as ornamental fountains. When Legionella bacterium is aerosolized and then unknowingly inhaled, it will make its way into the lungs and possibly cause an infection/pneumonia known as Legionnaires’ disease. A less severe form of Legionnaires’ disease is called Pontiac fever. People who are immunocompromised, such as the elderly, are more susceptible to develop Legionnaires’ disease. With the aging of populations and record numbers of travelers, cruise ships are among those enviroments with a higher risk of being linked to Legionnaires’ disease-related illnesses.
