Hamworthy acquires Serck Como

Hamworthy has acquired Serck Como, which specialises in cruise ship desalination systems. “The acquisition complements our existing wastewater business and has excellent growth prospects both in the marine sector and ashore,” said Kelvyn Derrick, Hamworthy?s chief executive.

Benefits of the acquisition from Serck Como?s point of view include the use of Hamworthy?s sales network and low-cost sourcing, while Hamworthy gains improved access to the German market, and is in a better position to capitalise on the growth of the cruise sector.

Hamworthy has agreed to pay ?7.85 million for Serck Como, which is a privately owned company based in Geesthacht, near Hamburg, Germany, with 80 employees located in a modern manufacturing facility. Serck Como?s sales totalled ?17.6 million in 2005 of which 70% was marine related. The company is experiencing significant growth, especially in the cruise sector: its July 2006 order book stood at ?28.5 million, of which cruise ships accounted for ?20.9 million representing over 80% of the current new build order book.

Cruise ship desalination plant comprises one or more ?multi-stage flash? (MSF) evaporators. “The well proven MSF principle is the most reliable thermal seawater desalination process in the world,” said Dr Rainer Greffrath, Serck Como?s managing director. Steam, engine jacket water or a combination of these can be used for heating. The capacities of these tailor-made evaporators range from 150 tonnes/day to 1,000 tonnes/day, with steady production at sea water temperatures between 2°C and 32°C, while the capacity of a standard single-stage unit typically installed on tankers and bulk carriers ranges from 6 tonnes/day to 70 tonnes/day. A potable water treatment unit according to WHO standards can be supplied as an option and the range of single-stage and multi-stage evaporators is approved by all the main classification societies.