Shanghai Tongjie pitches compact marine watermakers for workboats

Shanghai Tongjie Environmental Protection Technology Co. is marketing industrial marine watermakers for fishing boats, tugs and offshore work vessels that need reliable freshwater far from port. The systems are designed to fit tight engine rooms, handle rough operating conditions and reduce the need for costly water bunkering.

Why it matters: - Commercial vessels lose time and money when they must return to port only to take on freshwater. - Shanghai Tongjie says a marine watermaker can turn seawater into drinking, cooking and wash water continuously, helping fishing and work vessels stay on station longer. - Freshwater capacity also affects catch handling, crew sanitation and maintenance on vessels that may be at sea for weeks or months.

What happened: - Shanghai Tongjie Environmental Protection Technology Co. published guidance aimed at fishing trawlers, harbor tugs, offshore workboats and other commercial marine operators. - The company positioned its industrial-grade marine watermakers as a fit for vessels that face heat, salt mist, vibration and unstable electrical supply in engine rooms. - The release also directed vessel operators to submit vessel type, crew size, daily water needs and electrical specifications for a sizing recommendation, machinery drawing and quote.

The details: - Typical capacity ranges cited in the release run from 1,000 to 5,000 liters per day for smaller inshore trawlers and workboats, and from 5,000 to 20,000 liters per day for distant-water tuna vessels, factory trawlers and offshore supply boats. - Shanghai Tongjie says the units can be built with monoblock compact frames or modular split-skid layouts to fit crowded machinery spaces. - The company says service access is built in, with front-facing filter housings and membrane vessels arranged for 40-inch reverse osmosis elements. - Power compatibility includes single-phase 220V/50Hz or 230V/60Hz and three-phase 380V/50Hz or 440V/60Hz shipboard supplies. - Electrical cabinets are described as using industrial components, motor soft-starters or variable frequency drives and IP65 sealing. - Raw seawater can be drawn from a sea chest or through-hull scoop, with a bronze or 316L stainless steel basket strainer ahead of the booster pumps. - Dual-stage pre-filtration uses 20-micron and 5-micron spun-polypropylene cartridges. - High-pressure piping at 55 to 65 bar uses duplex 2205 or super duplex 2507 stainless steel. - The control system includes one-touch automation, automatic startup flushing and salinity monitoring. - An automatic permeate diverter valve sends off-spec water overboard until product water reaches TDS below 500 mg/L. - An automatic freshwater flush is used at shutdown to clear brine from the membrane vessels. - Consumables are standardized around common 10-inch or 20-inch cartridge lengths with 2.5-inch or 4.5-inch diameters.

Between the lines: - The release is built around a simple message: commercial vessels need rugged systems that can survive hard service, not yacht-style equipment designed for marina life. - The emphasis on standard cartridge sizes, simple controls and fast filter changes suggests the company is targeting crews that need low-maintenance equipment and easy parts sourcing in remote ports. - The warning against dirty harbors and petrochemical contamination signals that watermaker performance still depends heavily on intake water quality, even with heavy pre-filtration.

What's next: - Shanghai Tongjie is asking operators to share vessel data so the company can recommend system sizing and produce technical drawings. - The next step for interested buyers is likely a vessel-specific configuration based on crew load, voyage length, generator capacity and available machinery space.

The bottom line: - Shanghai Tongjie is selling marine watermakers as a way for commercial vessels to make their own freshwater at sea, cut port calls and keep working longer without interruption.