Hutton’s Group, a ship supplier in the U.K., reported sales of bottled water are up 30% on last year’s figures. The Hull-based supplier to the international shipping industry said it sold almost 40,000 large bottles of still water and nearly 20,000 small bottles this January alone, with sales of sparkling water (particularly popular with eastern European customers) growing too. The company said its January water sales equate to more than 13,000 liters.
Alex Taylor, Hutton’s Group Managing Director, attributes this increase to a growing awareness of health living and the industry-wide deterrence of alcohol onboard ships. He said, “We are getting clear signals from our customers that their crews want to live a healthy lifestyle while on board and we think this increase in requests for bottled water reflects this desire. I also think the portability aspect of a bottle of water is having an impact too – seafarers want to have clean water at their fingertips while they are working.”
Hutton’s said it also stocks a variety of water filtration products including the anti-legionella safe shower head which it also reports increasing sales for. The showerheads are treated with antimicrobial coating and use a filter to remove any legionella from the water.
Hutton’s Medical General Manager John MacDonald said, “We have fitted these shower heads in a range of vessels for our customers and they are proving popular as they remove the bacteria without the need to take the shower heads off to disinfect them. As well as saving time and labor, they have a proven health benefit which is essential when you are out of sea and miles from medical assistance.”