'Invite us to your ships and we will, at our cost, apply the total solution and all its categories on board a limited number of your vessels to prove efficacy in real time, in real locations and in a redundant process,' Nierenberg said as a follow-up to the Seatrade Cruise Talks webinar, 'Attack All Angles: Making Ships Pandemic-Proof.'
Holistic approach
During the webinar, Nierenberg said there's no silver bullet when it comes to protecting crew and passengers from a COVID-19 outbreak. Ship operators must take a holistic approach.
A 'total ship sanitation solution' involves active protocols that work 24/7 to sanitize and disinfect 'anything a guest or employee touches, eats, drinks, wears, breathes, sleeps or sits in, using only environmentally sensitive suppliers and their products,' he said.
Components include active air purification, active disinfection of all surfaces indoors and out, protection of food preparation areas and ice machines, advanced lighting technology, digital air quality monitoring throughout the ship and safer, more effective laundry solutions that reduce pathogens while prolonging textile life.
All of this is different from the traditional 'spray and pray' approach using products that may kill the pathogens on a surface but don't continuously disinfect, said Nierenberg, a 45-year veteran senior cruise executive.
According to Nierenberg, his group's recommendations provide continuous protection not only from the virus that causes COVID-19 but also norovirus, allergens and other pathogens. They provide lasting solutions for cruise operators that can help restore public confidence in cruising.
Photocatalytic oxidation
Allen Johnston, founder/president of GreenTech Environmental, is a proponent of photocatalytic oxidation (PCO) to continuously clean air and surfaces, just as the sun interacts with water molecules in the air, forming powerful hydroxyl radicals that react with pollutant molecules, breaking apart their chemical bonds and rendering them harmless.
PCO devices can be placed in HVAC systems and installed as freestanding devices in accommodations, food prep areas and walk-in refrigerators (an added benefit is extending the shelf life of fruits, vegetables and meats). They even work in ice machines, which have been found to contain more bacteria than toilets, Johnston said.
Photocatalytic cleaning products
Pureti's products, meanwhile, clean, disinfect and protect in the presence of light, explained Glen Finkel, co-founder/CEO. They work indoors and outdoors, are easily applied and long-lasting. Pureti Clean & Fresh, for windows, for example, improves indoor air quality by oxidizing harmful organic particles, including VOCs, making the air cleaner and safer.
With one in five Americans suffering from asthma or other respiratory ailments, air quality is a major issue, Finkel noted, adding that in the not-too-distant future, smartphones will be equipped with air quality monitors.
UVA LED lighting
Dinesh Wadhwani, president/CEO of ThinkLite, provides lighting solutions that can activate the Puriti products in spaces without windows or on overcast days. UVA LED lights are 'extremely safe,' Wadhwani said, 40% to 50% more efficient than older LED technologies and 80% to 90% more efficient than fluorescent lights. They have much longer lifespans, too.
There is an opportunity to introduce smart controls, and Wadhwani suggested air quality monitors can be placed in the most-trafficked areas of ships to measure pathogens, helping operators to determine safe occupancy levels for each space. Cruise lines could even integrate these monitors into apps or screens to share selected data with crew or passengers.
Laundry solutions
In yet another area, laundry, Les Bridwell, owner and partner, Lifeforce/Cleaner Solutions, said the Cleanovation solution supports healthier cruising without toxic chemicals. Cleanovation involves pro-microbials (good bacteria) that handle deep cleaning and antimicrobials that protect against unwanted bacteria and odors.
The antimicrobial entails a one-time application for the life of the textile. Tests show antimicrobial reduction, mold control and extended textile life.
Altogether, these productions make up the Nierenberg group's 'total ship sanitation solution.' The webinar will be available on demand shortly.
Looking for a few ships
Regarding the offer of free application to show their efficacy, Nierenberg said: 'We would test on several ships of different sizes ... from different cruise companies.'
Contact him at [email protected].
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