In the Marine and Offshore industry – the following regulations should be followed to ensure potable water safety on-board

• Maritime Labour Convention (MLC) 2006
• WHO – ILO 178 (2009)
• WHO – IHR (International Health Regulations, 2005)
• The ISM Code

Problems are likely to occur mostly due to:

• Closeness to hazardous substances, sewage, waste streams, heat sources due to the limited space available
• Legionnaires’ disease is a high risk on marine installations where the bacteria are common, usually in low numbers and are able to survive in the nature at a wide range of temperatures. The bacteria can multiply in hot water systems if not properly maintained.
• Desalination, Reverse Osmosis or Evaporation can be associated with its own potential health problems on board
• Corrosion in plumbing may lead to metals leaking in to water. Desalinated water produced on board may be corrosive and the salty atmosphere induce the effect

The tests from external laboratories include

• Bacteria, incl E.coli (0 cfu/100ml) ,
• pH (6.5 – 9.5) & alkalinity,
• Hardness (>100 mg/l ppm),
• Free chlorine (<5mg/l),
• Total chlorine,
• Various metals including lead (10 μg/l), copper (2000 μg/l), cadmium (3μg/l ), iron (200μg/l ),  nickel (70μg/l ), zinc (3000μg/l ),
• Legionella (<100 cfu/100ml).