Potable Water as a Source of Ballast on Vessels 

EP-C-09-020, Work Assignment 3-10, Subtask 2A 

Telephone Questions for Identified Reverse Osmosis System Vendors 

US Watermaker 

Dallas, OR 

Contact: Jim Broehl 

Phone: (800) 548 4502 

Date: April 3, 2012 

ERG initially identified themselves as contractors to USEPA and explained that EPA was 

conducting research to determine if it is feasible for vessels to use onboard potable water 

generators as a source of ballast water. ERG also explained that they were not authorized to 

handle any information claimed to be CBI and that the vendor should not, under any 

circumstance, provide any information believed to be CBI. ERG also explained that any 

information the vendor provided could be made public without their notice. 

Overview: 

Mr. Broehl believed that RO systems could be used feasibly as a source of ballast water. As an 

example of this potential, he indicated that seagoing tugs typically generate 1,500 gal/day of 

potable water and that processing ships generate 10,000 to 100,000 gal/day. However, Mr. 

Broehl also indicated that the generation rate of potable water would depend on the space 

available onboard vessels. For example, while oil platforms can produce millions of gallons of 

potable water per day, the equipment used to generate that amount of water likely would not fit 

on small vessels. For vessels of about 300 gross registered tons, Mr. Broehl believed that a 

realistic size for a reverse osmosis system would be about 5,000 gal/day, while for larger 

commercial vessels there would be an upper limit of roughly 25,000 gal/day. 

When asked if there were any specific features that would make reverse osmosis systems 

technologically or economically infeasible, Mr. Broehl stated that he believed their systems 

could be retrofit into tug or fishing boats with relative ease. He also pointed out that many of his 

company’s systems are sold to vessels that don’t already have reverse osmosis systems installed 

onboard. 

In terms of energy demand, Mr. Broehl stated that as a general rule of thumb, roughly 1 

horsepower is required to generate 1,000 gal/day of potable water. Mr. Broehl also mentioned 

that the reverse osmosis systems draw their power directly from the generators powered by the 

vessels’ engines. 
Regarding the cost of reverse osmosis systems, Mr. Broehl provided the information summarized 

in Table B-1. He estimated annual O&M costs to be roughly 3% of equipment and installation 

costs. Mr. Broehl could not provide an estimate for energy-related costs, as he believes there are 

too many factors to allow for accurate estimation. Mr. Broehl also indicated that systems 

generating more than 10,000 gal/day would need to be custom built by his company, and that 

systems producing more than 20,000-gal/day would require specialized equipment, such as 

multi-stage centrifugal units. Annual O&M costs for these systems would be much greater than 

what is listed in Table B-1. Mr. Broehl believes they could be as great as 10 percent of the 

equipment and installation cost. 

Table B-1. Summary of Vendor’s Equipment, Installation, and Annual O&M Costs 

Capacity 

(gal/day) 

Equipment 

Cost 

Installation 

Cost 

Annual 

O&M Cost1

1,500 $11,000 $4,000 to $8,000 $450 to $570

10,000 $37,000 $10,000 $1,410

Notes: 

1. The costs shown were calculated by taking 3 percent of the 

equipment and installation cost of each system. 

Mr. Broehl pointed out that if RO systems were to be used solely for ballasting purposes, then 

the filtration requirements could be reduced to allow for faster water production. He also noted 

that water temperature would affect generation rates. For example, a temperature drop from 70 to 

30°F would reduce water production rates by roughly half. 

When asked about how RO and distillation systems compare, Mr. Broehl indicated that the size 

and maintenance requirements for distillation systems would make them a bigger commitment 

relative to RO systems. He also indicated that their maintenance would be more expansive 

relative to RO systems due to scaling and fouling issues that must be addressed. 

Mr. Broehl commented that he believes, however, that distillation systems are a great alternative 

for vessels that generate a lot of waste heat since distillation systems would utilize that waste 

heat. Mr. Broeh also noted stated that he believes vessels are becoming more energy efficient, 

resulting in less available waste heat for potable water generation. He also believes that 

distillation systems are being used less extensively as result of this trend. 

 

For RO systems, the potable water recovery is roughly 10 to 40 percent of the total volume 

processed by the system. The remaining 60 to 90 percent would be brine discharge. This 

discharge would contain salt at concentrations of roughly 40,000 ppm. Depending on the quality 

of the discharge and the vessel regulations, Mr. Broehl pointed out that consideration would need 
to be given to the potential need to store or treat brine discharge onboard before it could be 

released to surface waters. 
Potable Water as a Source of Ballast on Vessels 

EP-C-09-020, Work Assignment 3-10, Subtask 2A 

Telephone Questions for Identified Distillation System Vendors 

GEA Westfalia 

Northvale, NJ 

Contact: Frank Kennedy 

Phone: (201) 767-3900 

Date: April 3, 2012 

ERG initially identified themselves as contractors to USEPA and explained that EPA was 

conducting research to determine if it is feasible for vessels to use onboard potable water 

generators as a source of ballast water. ERG also explained that they were not authorized to 

handle any information claimed to be CBI and that the vendor should not, under any 

circumstance, provide any information believed to be CBI. ERG also explained that any 

information the vendor provided could be made public without their notice. 

Overview: 

Mr. Kennedy believes that the feasibility of using potable water for ballasting would depend on 

the size of the ship. Larger commercial vessels such as cargo tankers or boat carriers could use 

such a large volume of water that it would be difficult for distillation systems to keep up with 

ballasting demands. Mr. Kennedy estimated that vacuum distillation could be used to provide 30 

to 50 tons/day of potable water, although his company only manufactures units that product 10 to 

30 ton/day. 

According to Mr. Kennedy did not believe the required energy to produce ballast water onboard 

would be feasible, given how great ballasting rates could be relative to the production rates of 

distillation systems; however, he mentioned that ships use waste energy to produce water and do 

not use dedicated heat sources such as boilers. Mr. Kennedy mentioned that older vessels may 

not be designed in such a manner that waste heat could be used efficiently. Also, some vessels 

may not generate enough waste heat to supply the evaporator adequately. This may be because 

they operate more efficiently, thereby generating insufficient waste heat, or because the 

evaporator must share the waste heat with other units (e.g., super or turbo chargers). 

In terms of size, Mr. Kennedy indicated that distillation systems can easily retrofit into small 

vessels and his company’s systems are frequently sold as retrofits. For smaller vessels (i.e., tugs 

or fishing vessels), he estimated that units could be retrofit with systems capable of producing 1 
to 5 ton/day of potable water. Larger commercial vessels could retrofit units that would produce 

100 or more ton/day. 

Mr. Kennedy also provided equipment and installation cost estimates, which are summarized in 

Table B-2. Based on his estimates, the cost of purchasing and installing a distillation system 

would range from $40,000 to $150,000, depending on the overall production capacity of the 

distillation system and the level of effort required to install the system. Mr. Kennedy was unable 

to provide estimates for operation and maintenance costs.

 Table B-2. Summary of Vendor’s Equipment and Installation Costs 

Capacity 

(ton/day) Equipment Cost Installation Cost 

10 $30,000 to $50,000 $10,000 to $15,000

30 $45,000 to $50,000 $50,000 to $100,000

According to Mr. Kennedy, the U.S. market is favoring RO systems over distillation for potable 

water production. To this extent, he estimated that 70 percent of U.S. vessels use RO systems 

while the remaining 30 percent use distillation systems. He also noted that distillation systems 

are becoming less common because vessels are generally operating more efficiently, resulting in 

less available waste heat to supply to distillation systems. 

 
Potable Water as a Source of Ballast on Vessels 

EP-C-09-020, Work Assignment 3-10, Subtask 2A 

Telephone Questions for Identified Reverse Osmosis System Vendors 

Matrix 

Fort Lauderdale, FL 

Contact: Eric Bentschneider 

Phone: (954) 524-5120 

Date: April 3, 2012 

ERG initially identified themselves as contractors to USEPA and explained that EPA was 

conducting research to determine if it is feasible for vessels to use onboard potable water 

generators as a source of ballast water. ERG also explained that they were not authorized to 

handle any information claimed to be CBI and that the vendor should not, under any 

circumstance, provide any information believed to be CBI. ERG also explained that any 

information the vendor provided could be made public without their notice. 

Overview: 

Mr. Bentschneider does not believe the use of potable water would be feasible from a regulatory 

standpoint, as he believes that regulations would not allow vessels to use potable water for 

ballast and then discharge that ballast without first treating it, even if the ballast was made up of 

potable water only. 

According to Mr. Bentschneider, RO systems could provide 400 gal/day to several hundreds of 

thousands of gal/day; however, this production capacity would depend on the size of the unit that 

the vessel could accommodate. Mr. Bentschneider estimated that RO units producing 400 

gal/day would be roughly the size of a microwave appliance, while the largest units would 

occupy a space equivalent to four automobiles parked side-by-side. 

Regarding the energy demand that RO systems would place upon vessels, Mr. Bentschneider 

forwarded ERG to Matrix’s website, which contained literature specifying typical energy 

demands. 

Mr. Bentschneider was unable to provide ERG with cost estimates for his company’s systems.
Potable Water as a Source of Ballast on Vessels 

EP-C-09-020, Work Assignment 3-10, Subtask 2A 

Telephone Questions for Identified Distillation System Vendors 

Alfa Laval 

Richmond, VA 

Contact: Larry Bogia 

Phone: (215) 443-4175 

Date: April 3 and April 5, 2012 

ERG initially identified themselves as contractors to USEPA and explained that EPA was 

conducting research to determine if it is feasible for vessels to use onboard potable water 

generators as a source of ballast water. ERG also explained that they were not authorized to 

handle any information claimed to be CBI and that the vendor should not, under any 

circumstance, provide any information believed to be CBI. ERG also explained that any 

information the vendor provided could be made public without their notice. 

Overview: 

Mr. Bogia does not believe it would be feasible to generate potable water for ballasting. 

According to Mr. Bogia, large vessels (i.e., tankers or cruises) generate roughly 1 ton/hour or 

approximately 20 to 25 tons/day of potable water. Mr Bogia believes it would be difficult for 

these large vessels to produce water at a sufficient rate to keep up with ballasting requirements. 

Mr. Bogia estimated that cruise ships would need to produce about 400 to 500 tons/day of 

potable water to replace spent fuel and does not believe they could do so feasibly. 

Mr. Bogia also believes that distillation systems would not be feasible for meeting ballast water 

requirements onboard smaller vessels. For a hypothetical ballasting rate of 20 gal/min (1,200 

gal/hour), Mr. Bogia believes that the required distillation system would not fit into a small 

vessel. Furthermore, he did not believe that small vessels would be able to provide sufficient 

waste heat to power the evaporators. On larger vessels, Mr. Bogia stated that he does not expect 

evaporator size to be an issue, as it would be smaller than whatever ballast water treatment 

system the vessel would need to equip. However, as stated before, he does not believe distillation 

systems could produce enough water to meet the large ballast requirements expected of these 

types of vessels. 

In terms of power demands, Mr. Bogia estimated that generating potable water at a rate of 10 

tons/day would require 300 kilowatts of waste heat. For a 300-gross registered ton vessel, he 

does not believe this would be an issue, as they generate roughly 2,000 kilowatts, of which 1,000 

kilowatts is generated as waste heat,. Mr. Bogia expects that 1,600-gross registered ton vessels 
would generate roughly 4 to 5 megawatts of power, of which 60 to 70 percent would be utilized 

as waste heat (i.e., 2.4 to 3.5 megawatts). 

 
Potable Water as a Source of Ballast on Vessels 

EP-C-09-020, Work Assignment 3-10, Subtask 2A 

Telephone Questions for Distillation System Vendors 

Maxim Evaporators 

Shreveport, LA 

Contact: Lucky Rich 

Phone: (318) 629-2461 

Date: April 4, 2012 

ERG initially identified themselves as contractors to USEPA and explained that EPA was 

conducting research to determine if it is feasible for vessels to use onboard potable water 

generators as a source of ballast water. ERG also explained that they were not authorized to 

handle any information claimed to be CBI and that the vendor should not, under any 

circumstance, provide any information believed to be CBI. ERG also explained that any 

information the vendor provided could be made public without their notice. 

Overview: 

When asked if distillation systems could be used feasibly as a source of ballast water, Mr. Rich 

stated that he believed it could be feasible, but noted that his distillation systems could only 

support a water production range of 200 gal/day to 50,000 gal/day. 

Mr. Rich provided characteristic weight, dimension, and energy requirements for his company’s 

200 and 7,500-gal/day distillation systems (Table B-3). The energy requirements for these two 

systems range from 75,000 to 2,900,000 BTU/hr. Mr. Rich noted that the distillation systems are 

powered from engine waste heat, and that they do not powered by dedicated heat sources (i.e., 

boilers). 

 Table B-3. Summary of Vendor’s Distillation System Specifications 

Capacity 

(gal/day) 

Weight 

(lb) 

Dimensions, 

 L x W x H (in) 

Energy 

Requirement 

(BTU/hr) 

200 125 20 x 11 x 23 75,000

7,500 2,900 82 x 44 x 68 2,900,000

Mr. Rich also provided equipment and O&M cost estimates, which are summarized in Table B4. Based on his estimates, the cost of purchasing and installing a distillation system would range 

from $10,812 to $102,000. Mr. Rich also estimated annual O&M costs to be roughly two percent 

of the equipment cost. For the systems shown in Table B-4, this would yield an annual O&M 
cost of $212 and $2,000 for the 200- and 7,500-gal/day systems, respectively. Mr. Rich was 

unable to provide installation cost estimates for these systems. 

 Table B-4. Summary of Vendor’s Equipment and O&M Costs 

Unit Capacity 

(gal/day) 

Equipment 

Cost 

Annual 

O&M Cost1

200 $10,600 $212

7,500 $100,000 $2,000

Notes: 

1. The costs shown were calculated by taking 2 

percent of the equipment cost. 

Mr. Rich noted that retrofitting distillation systems into an existing vessel would depend on 

accessibility to the engine room. If a vessel’s engine room were equipped with access doors, the 

evaporator could be loaded into the vessel with relative ease. However, if there were restricted 

access to the engine room, it would be necessary to cut hole into the hull of the vessel in order to 

get the distillation system into the engine room. 

Mr. Rich also commented on RO systems, and that they are typically used in vessels that cannot 

generate enough waste heat to justify the use of a distillation system for potable water. He 

believes that 60 percent of all vessels operate RO systems and that the remaining 40 percent 

utilize distillation systems.
Potable Water as a Source of Ballast on Vessels 

EP-C-09-020, Work Assignment 3-10, Subtask 2A 

Telephone Questions for Reverse Osmosis Vendors 

FCI Watermakers 

Santa Ana, CA 

Contact: Joe Pinto 

Phone: (714) 850-0123 

Date: April 4, 2012 

ERG initially identified themselves as contractors to USEPA and explained that EPA was 

conducting research to determine if it is feasible for vessels to use onboard potable water 

generators as a source of ballast water. ERG also explained that they were not authorized to 

handle any information claimed to be CBI and that the vendor should not, under any 

circumstance, provide any information believed to be CBI. ERG also explained that any 

information the vendor provided could be made public without their notice. 

Overview: 

Mr. Pinto believes that it would be feasible to use RO systems as a source of ballast, since they 

would provide a continuous supply source of potable water that would run off of energy already 

being supplied by vessel’s generators during engine operation. 

Mr. Pinto provided the RO system power requirements summarized in Table B-5. Overall, the 

power requirement ranges from 3 to 30 kilowatts, depending on the size of the unit. Mr. Pinto 

also noted that the power requirements would vary, depending on the number of membranes in 

the RO system, the feed water quality, and the types of pumps and motors used in the engine 

room. 

 Table B-5. Summary of Vendor’s Power Requirements 

Unit 

Capacity 

(gal/hr) 

Power 

Requirement 

(kW) 

284 3

500 15

938 15

1,792 30

Mr. Pinto also provided equipment and annual O&M cost estimates for RO systems, which are 

summarized in Table B-6. Depending on the size of the unit, the equipment cost may range from 
$73,000 to $152,845. Mr. Pinto was unable to provide installation or O&M cost estimates, as he 

believed that those costs are case specific and will depend on the degree to which the equipment 

is kept in good working condition. Mr. Pinto did indicate, however, that he believed a range of 3 

to 10 percent of the installation cost would offer a reasonable estimate of annual O&M costs. 

The annual O&M costs shown below assume an annual O&M cost of 3 to 10 percent of the 

equipment cost. 

Table B-6. Summary of Vendor’s Equipment and O&M Costs 

Capacity 

(gal/hr) 

Equipment 

Cost 

Annual O&M 

Cost 

284 Not Provided Not Provided

500 $73,000 $2,190 to $7,300 

938 $95,000 $2,850 to $9,500

1,792 $152,845 $4,585 to $15,285 

Notes: 

1. The costs shown were calculated by taking 3 to 10 

percent of the equipment cost. 

Mr. Pinto also noted that, for RO systems, water quality would affect potable water generation 

rates. Feedwater with a relatively high degree of salinity would negate generation rates; 

therefore, a vessel’s ability to generate potable water would vary by geography. According to 

Mr. Pinto, feedwater temperature would also affect RO system generation rates, where colder 

water would result in reduce generation rates. 

When asked about whether RO systems filter organisms from the feedwater, Mr. Pinto indicated 

that this would depend on the membrane filter installed in the RO system, and that the filtration 

requirements for the system could be adjusted as needed. Mr. Pinto also indicated that to produce 

potable water, it would be necessary to install addition equipment to disinfect the potable water 

produced by the RO system. In the regard, Mr. Pinto indicated that water from the RO system is 

typically sterilized using chlorine or UV sterilization. UV sterilizers can sterilize 5 to 6 gal/min 

on smaller ships (i.e., ships that are 50 to 60 feet in length). He expects smaller vessels to employ 

chlorination and larger vessels to typically use UV sterilization. 

 
Potable Water as a Source of Ballast on Vessels 

EP-C-09-020, Work Assignment 3-10, Subtask 2A 

Telephone Questions for Disinfection System Vendors 

Headhunter 

Fort Lauderdale, FL 

Contact: Scott Mulligan 

Phone: (305) 597-7520 

Date: April 5, 2012 

ERG initially identified themselves as contractors to USEPA and explained that EPA was 

conducting research to determine if it is feasible for vessels to use onboard potable water 

generators as a source of ballast water. ERG also explained that they were not authorized to 

handle any information claimed to be CBI and that the vendor should not, under any 

circumstance, provide any information believed to be CBI. ERG also explained that any 

information the vendor provided could be made public without their notice. 

Overview: 

According to Mr. Mulligan water sterilization onboard vessels is primarily achieved through 

chlorination, silver ionization, or UV methods. The choice in sterilization method would affect 

how it would be installed in the vessel. If using chlorination or silver ionization equipment, it 

would be installed between the potable water generator and the storage tank. If UV equipment is 

used, it would be installed after the storage tank. 

Mr. Mulligan also indicated that he does not believe it is feasible to generate potable water at 

rates that would meet vessel ballasting rate requirements. Furthermore, Mr. Mulligan also 

indicated that turbidity would negate the overall sterilization of the potable water. 

Mr. Mulligan also provided ERG with installation and annual O&M cost estimates for UV 

sterilizers (Table B-7). The annual O&M cost assumes a typical UV lamp life of 2 years and a 

typical lamp cost of $600. According to Mr. Mulligan, Headhunter’s UV sterilizers are primarily 

sold to yachts measuring 100 to 200 feet in length. 

Table B-7. Summary of Vendor’s Equipment and O&M Costs 

Capacity 

(gal/hr) 

Installation 

Cost 

Annual O&M 

Cost 

83 $3,000 $300 
Potable Water as a Source of Ballast on Vessels 

EP-C-09-020, Work Assignment 3-10, Subtask 2A 

Telephone Questions for Disinfection System Vendors 

Jowa USA 

Littleton, MA 

Contact: Berendt Bittner 

Phone: (978) 486-9800 

Date: April 9, 2012 

ERG initially identified themselves as contractors to USEPA and explained that EPA was 

conducting research to determine if it is feasible for vessels to use onboard potable water 

generators as a source of ballast water. ERG also explained that they were not authorized to 

handle any information claimed to be CBI and that the vendor should not, under any 

circumstance, provide any information believed to be CBI. ERG also explained that any 

information the vendor provided could be made public without their notice. 

Overview: 

Mr. Bittner provided the equipment specifications summarized in Table B-8, and indicated that 

he believes it could feasible for small vessels to generate potable water for ballasting purposes; 

however, he does not believe the same would hold true for large vessels. 

Table B-8. Summary of Vendor’s Equipment Specifications 

System Type 

System 

Name 

Capacity 

(gal/day) 

Dimensions 

(mm) 

Power 

(watts) 

Chlorinator Dosing & 

Chlorinating 

Unit 

253,605 800 x 800 x 2,640 250 

Silver Ion 

Sterilizer 

AG-S 95,102 48 x 480 x 150 <30

UV Sterilizer UV1 6,732 to 

9,588

200 x 471 x 80 35

UV Sterilizer UV4 28,356 to 

44,880

300 x 471 x 120 80

UV Sterilizer UV51 148,920 to 

271,320

300 x 927 x 200 290
Mr. Bittner also provided ERG with equipment and installation cost estimates for the chlorinator, 

silver ion sterilizer, and UV sterilizer systems provided in Table B-9. The installation cost 

estimates provided by Mr. Bittner assume an installation cost of 10 percent. 

Table B-9. Summary of Vendor’s Equipment and O&M Costs 

System Type 

System 

Name 

Capacity 

(gal/day) 

Equipment 

Cost Installation Cost 

Chlorinator Dosing & 

Chlorinating 

Unit 

253,605 $13,560 $1,356

Silver Ion 

Sterilizer 

AG-S 95,102 $3,995 $400

UV Sterilizer UV1 6,732 to 

9,588

$2,550 $255

UV Sterilizer UV4 28,356 to 

44,880

$3,550 $355

UV Sterilizer UV51 148,920 to 

271,320

$6,100 $610

When asked if he could provide annual O&M cost estimates for the units listed in Table B-9, Mr. 

Bittner indicated that he was unable to do so because the costs would depend on the volume of 

water disinfected in a given year. However, according to Mr. Bittner, the consumables that 

would require maintenance over time would include chlorine, electrodes, and UV lamps for 

chlorinators, silver ion sterilizers, and UV sterilizers, respectively. Mr. Bittner was unable to 

provide an estimate of the amount of chlorine required per gallon of water disinfected, as Jowa 

does not vend chlorine to its customers. For silver ion sterilizers, he stated that the electrode will 

require replacement after disinfecting roughly 1,850,000 gallons, and that each electrode will 

cost $850. For UV sterilizers, Mr. Bittner estimated lamp replacements will be necessary every 

8,000 hrs of operation. The total cost for each individual replacement will vary by model as 

follows: 

• UV1 system - $195 (one lamp required); 

• UV4 system - $195 (four lamps required); and 

• UV51 system - $217 (five lamps required).