Ship Desalination Machine Global Market Report 2025

The ship desalination machine market size has grown strongly in recent years. It will grow from $1.29 billion in 2024 to $1.38 billion in 2025 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.9%. The growth in the historic period is driven by rising freshwater demand on naval vessels, advancements in reverse osmosis membrane technology, expansion of global maritime trade and fleet size, improving onboard water treatment standards, and integration of desalination systems in cruise ships.

The ship desalination machine market size is expected to see strong growth in the next few years. It will grow to $1.82 billion in 2029 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.2%. The growth in the forecast period can be connected to growing adoption of hybrid renewable energy systems, implementing stricter maritime environmental regulations, advancing energy efficient desalination technologies, increasing demand for potable water in remote maritime operations, expanding desalination capabilities in offshore platforms. Major trends in the forecast period include deploying floating desalination units in drought prone regions, integrating desalination systems in naval and commercial fleets, developing compact and modular desalination units, focusing on reducing brine discharge and environmental impact, utilizing renewable energy sources to power desalination processes.

The rise in shipping and maritime trade activities is expected to enhance the growth of the ship desalination machine market going forward. Shipping and maritime trade activities are increasing due to the growing global demand for consumer goods and energy resources. This rise in trade increases the deployment of cargo ships, tankers, and offshore vessels, which subsequently elevates the need for onboard freshwater supply. Ship desalination machines address this requirement by providing a continuous and reliable source of freshwater for crew consumption, cleaning, and operational processes, allowing vessels to undertake long-distance voyages without relying on port-based water supplies and ensuring smooth, uninterrupted global trade operations. For instance, in August 2025, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, a US-based federal agency, cross-border freight shipments between the United States, Canada, and Mexico reached over $144.8 billion in 2025, representing an 8.4% increase compared to 2024. Therefore, the rise in shipping and maritime trade activities is enhancing the growth of the ship desalination machine market.

Leading companies in the ship desalination machine market are prioritizing advancements in material engineering, such as the development of nanoporous polymeric membranes, to deliver vessels with highly efficient, durable, and dependable desalination solutions. These innovations enhance freshwater generation, maintain operational reliability in challenging marine environments, and support maritime efforts to address water scarcity at sea. A nanoporous polymeric membrane is a multilayer polymer structure containing nanoscale pores that permit water molecules to pass through while effectively blocking salts and other contaminants, enabling efficient seawater purification. For example, in May 2025, the Defense Research & Development Organization (DRDO), an India-based government agency, introduced an indigenous seawater desalination technology designed specifically for Coast Guard ships. This high-pressure, ship-integrated desalination system produces consistent freshwater directly from seawater while overcoming key operational challenges such as vessel stability and chloride corrosion. The technology ensures efficient, scalable, and secure water production, supporting sustainable maritime operations and coastal defense missions.

In April 2023, SKion Water GmbH, a Germany-based water technology investment company, acquired Enwa AS for an undisclosed amount. Through this acquisition, SKion Water aims to strengthen its footprint in the Nordic water treatment market and broaden its portfolio of sustainable, energy-efficient water and environmental solutions worldwide. Enwa AS is a Norway-based company that manufactures ship desalination machines.

Major players operating in the ship desalination machine market are Hamworthy (part of Wärtsilä), Alfa Laval AB, Veolia Environnement S.A., MECO, Aquatech (now Hitachi Aqua-Tech Engineering Pte. Ltd.), ENWA Sandnes, KYSEARO, IDE Technologies, Peter Taboada, SLCE Watermakers, Spectra Watermakers (Katadyn Group), Uniwin, Devise Engineering S.A., Pomar Water, AMPAC USA, Schenker Watermakers, DongHwa Entec, SeaWater Pro LLC, Blue Water Desalination, Rochem Water Treatment GmbH, Advanced Equipment and Services, Inc., Lenntech, Cathelco (Evac Group), Osmosea Srl, B&P Water Technologies, Spot Zero Reverse Osmosis (Parker Hannifin subsidiary)

North America was the largest region in the ship desalination machine market in 2024. Asia-Pacific is expected to be the fastest-growing region in the forecast period. The regions covered in the ship desalination machine market report are Asia-Pacific, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, North America, South America, Middle East, Africa.

Note that the outlook for this market is being affected by rapid changes in trade relations and tariffs globally. The report will be updated prior to delivery to reflect the latest status, including revised forecasts and quantified impact analysis. The report’s Recommendations and Conclusions sections will be updated to give strategies for entities dealing with the fast-moving international environment.

The rapid escalation of U.S. tariffs and the resulting trade tensions in spring 2025 are significantly impacting the utilities sector, particularly in power generation, grid infrastructure, and renewable energy projects. Higher duties on imported equipment such as turbines, transformers, solar panels, and battery storage systems have increased capital and operational costs for utility providers, forcing them to reconsider project timelines or pass on expenses to consumers through higher energy rates. The water and waste management segments are also affected, with tariffs driving up the cost of essential machinery, piping, and treatment technologies. Additionally, retaliatory tariffs have disrupted global supply chains for critical raw materials like rare earth metals used in clean energy technologies, further complicating the transition to sustainable energy sources. The sector must now prioritize domestic sourcing, digitalization, and efficiency-driven innovations to manage escalating costs while ensuring energy security and regulatory compliance.

The ship desalination machine market research report is one of a series of new reports that provides ship desalination machine market statistics, including ship desalination machine industry global market size, regional shares, competitors with a ship desalination machine market share, detailed ship desalination machine market segments, market trends and opportunities, and any further data you may need to thrive in the ship desalination machine industry. This ship desalination machine market research report delivers a complete perspective of everything you need, with an in-depth analysis of the current and future scenario of the industry.

A ship desalination machine refer to a device installed on ships to convert seawater into fresh, potable water through processes such as reverse osmosis or distillation. Its primary purpose is to provide a continuous and reliable supply of drinking water and freshwater for onboard operations, ensuring the safety and comfort of crew and passengers during voyages.

The key product types in the ship desalination machine market include containerized desalination units, modular desalination systems, and fixed installation desalination equipment. Containerized desalination units are compact, self-contained water desalination systems housed within standard shipping containers. The key technologies include reverse osmosis, multistage flash distillation, multi-effect distillation, electrodialysis, and solar desalination. The types of vessels equipped with these systems include cargo ships, oil and gas tankers, passenger vessels, naval vessels, and research and exploration vessels. Desalination capacities are categorized as low capacity, medium capacity, and high capacity. The applications include freshwater supply for crew and passengers, water supply for machinery and equipment, water treatment for sanitation purposes, and industrial uses.

The countries covered in the ship desalination machine market report are Australia, Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Russia, South Korea, UK, USA, Canada, Italy, Spain.

The ship desalination machine market consists of sales of vapor compression distillation units, membrane distillation units, hybrid desalination systems, brine concentrators and electrode ionization units. Values in this market are ‘factory gate’ values, that is the value of goods sold by the manufacturers or creators of the goods, whether to other entities (including downstream manufacturers, wholesalers, distributors and retailers) or directly to end customers. The value of goods in this market includes related services sold by the creators of the goods.

The market value is defined as the revenues that enterprises gain from the sale of goods and/or services within the specified market and geography through sales, grants, or donations in terms of the currency (in USD unless otherwise specified).

The revenues for a specified geography are consumption values that are revenues generated by organizations in the specified geography within the market, irrespective of where they are produced. It does not include revenues from resales along the supply chain, either further along the supply chain or as part of other products.

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