1. Session 7: Problems with Ships
Facilitator notes:
Legionnaires’ disease: Risk assessment, outbreak investigation and control
Session 7: Problems with Ships
ECDC, 2012

2. Problems with Ships - General Matters
Many similarities with shore based systems such as hospitals.
BUT differ significantly in many ways
More akin to small city
Always under attack
Constant stress from vessels movement
Aggressive routine treatments – corrosion
Natural settlement and disturbance

3. Problems with Ships - Water Sources
Shore
No control of source quality
Made on board
Own disinfection regime necessary

4. Problems with Ships - Potable Water
Drinking
Ice Machines
Food Preparation and cooking
Lifeboats

5. Problems with Ships - Non Potable
Personal Hygiene (Showers, WC)
Swimming Pools/Hydro Pools
Spa’s
Beauty treatments
Sprinkler system
Washing down
Laundry
Water Features
Air conditioning
Engineering (Boilers, Engine Cooling)
Bilge

6. Problems with Ships - Sea Water
Ballast
Fire system
Swimming Pools
Spa baths

7. Problems with Ships - Storage
Over capacity i.e. More than 24 hours requirement guaranteed
Difficult to control temperature
Same supply for potable and non potable?
Separate tanks for potable and non-potable supply not always assured
Tanks often inter connected
Tanks usage may change

8. Problems with Ships Complex systems – Schematic of Typical Water Storage and Distribution

9. Problems with Ships - Risks
Contaminated source
Poor design of pipe work and equipment
Over provision of services- Backup and diversion valves
Temperatures
Inadequate disinfection
Post disinfection contamination
Alterations – stretching ships
Running repairs

10. Problems with Ships - Temperature Control
Tanks below decks
Production by low temperature evaporation
Commonly at or below waterline
Often in hot atmosphere- Engine room
Adjacent tanks for differing purpose
i.e. Potable next to sprinkler feed likely to have prolonged storage and thermal gain.
Coolers expensive

11. APHA/HPA Ships’ Water Survey
Major Influences:
Age of vessel * Crew Numbers * Tank Capacity
Hoses & Couplings regularly disinfected
Free chlorine levels
Hose ownership
Hoses capped between usage
Hoses stored in own clean locker
International routes
Place of bunkering

12. Risks Contaminated source Poor design of pipe work and equipment
Over provision of services-, backup-, and diversion valves
Temperatures
Inadequate disinfection
Post disinfection contamination
Alterations
Running repairs

13. Hose Storage

14. Shore risks

15. Facilitator notes:
Acknowledgements The creation of this training material was commissioned in 2010 by ECDC to Health Protection Agency (UK) and the University of Chester (UK) with the direct involvement of Louise Brown, Janice Gidman, Emma Gilgunn-Jones, Ian Hall (on behalf of the ECDC Legionnaires Disease Outbreak Toolbox Development Group), Tim Harrison, Rob Johnston, Carol Joseph, Sandra Lai, John Lee, Falguni Naik, Nick Phin, Michelle Rivett, and Susanne Surman-Lee. The revision and update of this training material was commissioned in 2017 by ECDC to Transmissible (NL) with the direct involvement of Arnold Bosman and Kassiani Mellou.