Marine Testing Ltd

What Marine Testing Ltd does

Marine Testing Solutions Ltd is a UK-based, privately held specialist supplier of marine-focused testing equipment, headquartered in Arundel, West Sussex. The company designs and distributes test kits, handheld instruments, inline sensors, reagents, and sampling hardware used to monitor potable water, ballast water, cooling and boiler water, sewage effluent, fuel, and lubricating and hydraulic oils, as well as microbiological contamination (bacteria, Legionella, fungi) on board commercial vessels and at marine industrial sites. Its offering is structured around eight product sub-categories — water test kits, microbiology, fuel and lube testing, sensors, test instruments, reagents and spares, oil sampling, and ultrasonic cleaning — and includes a granted European patent on the chemical-free, automated MT Coolant Check (EP4332358). Sensor and condition-monitoring capability is complemented by the MT Modular Monitoring System and DATALOGGER MMS, which integrate water-in-oil, viscosity, density, humidity, particle, and ferromagnetic particle sensors.

The company sells primarily to commercial shipping fleets and marine industrial operators requiring compliance with MARPOL Annex IV and Annex VI, the IMO Ballast Water Management Convention, USCG VGP 2013, MLC 2006, the WHO Guidelines for Ship Sanitation, and HSE L8. Customer acquisition is sales-led, initiated via the company website, phone, email, and free no-obligation quotations, and is extended globally through authorized distribution partnerships with Martechnic GmbH (condition monitoring), IDEXX (microbiological media), and ProSense BV (sensors and testing solutions). Revenue is generated through one-time hardware sales (kits, instruments, sensors, ultrasonic cleaning systems) and through recurring sales of reagents, consumables, calibration solutions, and microbiological media that tie the installed base of equipment to repeat procurement. The firm holds ISO 9001:2015, ISO 14001:2015, and ISO 45001:2018 certifications and is led by Managing Director Alan Welton, supported by an in-house team of chemists that enables custom reagent formulation and private-label kit production.

Operationally the company is small — reported in the 1–10 employee range — and founder/MD-led, with no disclosed external funding, M&A activity, or material leadership changes. Strategic activity centers on extending the product portfolio (notably into inline condition monitoring, ultrasonic cleaning, and bunker-fuel sampling hardware) and deepening distribution partnerships to reach global marine accounts from a single UK base.

Name

Marine Testing Ltd

Legal name

Marine Testing Solutions Ltd

Website

https://marinetestingsolutions.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Marine Testing Solutions Ltd is a UK-based specialist supplier of marine test kits, sensors, reagents, and sampling solutions for water, fuel, oil, and microbiological analysis. It serves commercial shipping fleets and marine industrial operators globally through direct sales and authorized partnerships with Martechnic, IDEXX, and ProSense BV.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Marine Testing Equipment and Compliance Consumables

NAICS

Testing Laboratories and Services (54138), Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing (334516)

SIC

Services-Testing Laboratories (8734), Industrial Instruments For Measurement, Display, And Control (3823)

akta.pro primary industry

Marine Surveys, Testing & NDT (Thickness Gauging, UT/MPI, Pressure Testing, Commissioning) (TLAHAMAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Bunker Quality Testing, Surveying & Quantity Measurement (Lab, MARPOL Annex VI) (TLAHAKAH), Marine Systems Commissioning, Testing & Certification Support (TLAKAKAM)

Keywords

• Marine water testing
• Fuel oil analysis
• Ballast water monitoring
• Marine compliance testing
• Onboard test kits

Headquarters

HQ city

Arundel

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Test Kits and Instruments: Sale of marine testing equipment including water test kits, fuel and lube testing kits, ballast water test kits, and monitoring instruments. One-time purchase model for physical products.
2. Reagents and Consumables: Recurring sales of replacement reagents, spares, test tablets, calibration solutions, and consumable packs for testing equipment. Generates repeat purchases from installed customer base.
3. Microbiological Media: Sale of IDEXX and other microbiological testing media including Colilert, Enterolert, and Compact Dry products for bacterial detection in water systems.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Marine Testing Solutions Ltd manufactures and supplies a comprehensive portfolio of marine-focused test kits, sensors, instruments, reagents, sampling equipment, and ultrasonic cleaning systems for monitoring water, fuel, lube oil, and microbiological contamination on board commercial vessels and at marine industrial sites. Its products are designed to enable real-time onboard compliance with international maritime regulations (MARPOL, IMO BWM, MLC 2006, WHO) without the need for off-vessel laboratory analysis, supported by in-house chemist expertise and custom private-label test kit design.

Product overview

Marine Testing Solutions Ltd offers a comprehensive portfolio of marine testing kits, sensors, instruments, and cleaning systems. The core offering is a multi-category product suite organised into eight product sub-categories: (1) Water Test Kits including Potable Water Test Kits, Cooling and Boiler Water Test Kits, Sewage Effluent Test Kits, Ballast Water Test Kits, and Silver Ionisation Test Kits for compliance monitoring across marine water systems; (2) Microbiology products including Microbiological Media (IDEXX, Readycult, Colitag, Compact Dry), Dipslides, Digital Incubators, and Legionella Testing kits for bacterial detection; (3) Fuel and Lube Testing including Water in Oil Test Kits, Electronic Water in Oil Test Kit, Base Number Test Kit, Twin Check 4.0, Cat Fines Test Kit, Total Iron Check Test Kit, Flash Point Check, Compatibility/Density Test Kit, Acid Number Test Kit, AlwaVis Check, Lube Oil Check (4/5/6/OS), Fuel Bacteria Testing Dipslides, and Fuel and Lube Oil Test Cabinets for onboard oil condition monitoring; (4) Sensors including AHHOI IR Water-in-Oil Sensor, FE Sensor, Humidity Sensors (Standard and Plus), Viscosity & Density Sensor, and Particle Sensor, all integrable with the DATALOGGER MMS and MT Modular Monitoring System; (5) Test Instruments including Horiba SLFA-60 Sulfur Analyzer, MT Coolant Check, Urea Concentration Test Kits, Gas Detection Instruments, and Vibration Analysis instruments; (6) Reagents and Spares including Dropper Reagents, Tablets, JAW Reagent Kits, Total Chlorine Reagent Kit for CLX, Base Number Reagent Pack, Water in Oil Reagent Pack, Martechnic Cat Fines Reagent Pack, Total Iron Check Reagent Pack, Calibration Solutions, and Test Strips; (7) Oil Sampling including Drip Sampler, Drip Sampler Pressure Plus, MT Sample Retention System, Sampling Bottles & Cubitainers, and Vacuum Sampling Pump; (8) Ultrasonic Cleaning including Ultrasonic Cleaning Tanks, Ultrasonic Generators, and Envirosonic Ultrasonic Cleaning Liquid. The portfolio is complemented by a partnership network with Martechnic GmbH, IDEXX, and ProSense BV for distributed products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Potable Water Test Kits Marine potable water test kits for testing key parameters such as chlorine, pH and bacteria to ensure compliance with MLC 2006 and WHO Guidelines for Ship Sanitation, designed for non-technical users on board commercial vessels.
• Cooling and Boiler Water Test Kits Marine cooling and boiler water test kits for accurate monitoring of parameters that prevent scale, corrosion and microbiological growth in cooling and boiler systems on vessels and industrial plants.
• Sewage Effluent Test Kits Test kits for monitoring treated wastewater before discharge, ensuring compliance with MARPOL Annex IV by measuring BOD, COD, suspended solids and coliforms.
• Ballast Water Test Kits Comprehensive ballast water test kits for monitoring biological and chemical parameters to ensure compliance with the IMO Ballast Water Management Convention and US Coast Guard VGP 2013 BWTS requirements, supplied in a heavy-duty marine-grade case.
• Microbiological Media Comprehensive microbiological media range including IDEXX, Readycult, Colitag and Compact Dry products for accurate detection of bacteria in marine and potable water systems, supporting onboard and laboratory analysis of potable, process and wastewater samples.
• Dipslides for Microbiological Activity Fast and simple dipslides pre-coated with nutrient media to detect microbiological activity in water and cooling systems, providing visual results within 24-48 hours for marine, industrial and HVAC applications.
• Legionella Testing Kits Rapid marine-grade Legionella kits for onboard water and surface testing that detect Legionella pneumophila in as little as 35 minutes with sensitivity as low as 100-200 CFU/L, meeting HSE L8 and marine hygiene standards.
• Digital Incubators Precise temperature control digital incubators for incubation of dipslides and microbiological samples, with compact and durable construction including MDI 2214 (up to 12 dipslides) and MDI 3818 (up to 30 dipslides) models for marine and industrial environments.
• Water in Oil Test Kit Quick and reliable portable test kit to detect water contamination (free or emulsified) in fuel or lubricating oils, identifying water ingress to prevent engine damage, corrosion and problems in lube oil and hydraulic systems.
• Electronic Water in Oil Test Kit Electronic test kit providing accurate on-site measurement of water content in lubricating and hydraulic oils with a measuring range of 0 to 1.0 vol percent, digital display and internal data storage for routine condition monitoring.
• Base Number Test Kit Fast and accurate digital kit for measuring Base Number (BN) of used engine lubricating oil and cylinder drain oil, with a measuring range of 0 to 150 BN, data storage and automatic measurement cut off upon completion of the chemical reaction.
• Twin Check 4.0 (WIO and BN) Portable Test Kit Portable dual-parameter digital test kit measuring both water-in-oil content (0-1.0 vol percent H2O) and Base Number (0-150 BN) in lubricating or hydraulic oils, with digital read-out, data storage, USB output and internal memory chip with average data storage capacity of 2.5 years.
• Cat Fines Test Kit Simple, quick and reliable on-site test kit for detecting abrasive catalyst fines (aluminium- and silicon-based) in heavy fuel oils (HFO), VLSFO and HSFO, with approximately 15-minute measuring time and up to 8 simultaneous measurements producing visually quantifiable results.
• Total Iron Check Test Kit Complete on-site solution for measuring dissolved iron content in Cylinder Drain Oil (CDO) samples of 2-stroke diesel engines, detecting elevated iron levels that indicate wear, corrosion or contamination with clear visual or digital interpretation of TOTAL and CORRODED IRON.
• Flash Point Check Tester Portable closed-cup Pensky-Martens flash point tester (IMPA Code 65 28 27) for on-site flash point measurement with measuring range ambient to 200 degrees C, accuracy plus/minus 2 percent below 100 degrees C and plus/minus 6 degrees C above, based on ISO 2719/DIN EN 22719 and ASTM D-93 methods.
• Fuel and Lube Oil Test Cabinets Comprehensive portable laboratory for on-site monitoring of fuel, lubricating and hydraulic oil condition, with basic version including water-in-oil (0-1.0 vol percent), BN (0-150), viscosity, compatibility, flash point and pour point checks, plus optional Cat Fines Check and Total Iron Check modules.
• Lube Oil Check Field Kits Comprehensive Lube Oil Check family of field kits (Lube Oil Check 4, 5, 6 and OS) for assessing lubricating oil condition via combinations of water-in-oil, BN, insolubles, viscosity, salt water contamination, falling ball viscosity and optical scatter measurements for early detection of contamination, wear or degradation.
• AHHOI IR Water-in-Oil Sensor High-precision inline infrared sensor for continuous monitoring of water concentration in oil across saturated, emulsified and free water forms, measuring up to 10,000 ppm (1.0 vol percent) water in oil with RS-232 and 4-20 mA interface for continuous data output.
• Humidity Sensor Plus Advanced inline monitoring sensor measuring relative humidity (0-100 percent), relative permittivity (1-7) and oil conductivity (100-800,000 pS/m), with smart analytics, data recording, trend assessment and remaining oil life estimation, operating at -20 to 85 degrees C, fluid pressure up to 50 bar, IP67 rated with RS-232/CAN/4-20 mA digital interface.
• Humidity Sensor Standard Continuous inline sensor for real-time monitoring of water saturation in oil by measuring relative humidity (0-100 percent), with a wide temperature range of -40 to +105 degrees C, fluid pressure up to 50 bar, and interfaces via RS-232 or 4-20 mA for continuous data transmission.
• Viscosity and Density Sensor High-precision inline monitoring device for real-time measurement of kinematic viscosity (1-400 mm2/s, option up to 650 mm2/s), mass density (0.5-1.5 g/cm3) and temperature (-40 to +125 degrees C), with IP67 rating and Modbus RTU or CANopen output for marine and industrial installations.
• Particle Sensor Continuous monitoring sensor for particle contamination levels in lubricants and hydraulic fluids using laser light-extinction technology, with results presented according to ISO 4406:99 and SAE AS 4059 cleanliness standards, high-pressure operation up to 420 bar, compatible with mineral and ester oils.
• FE Sensor Ferromagnetic Particle Monitor Continuous real-time monitoring sensor for ferromagnetic wear particles in lubricating and hydraulic oils using inductive measuring method (0-100 percent) with plus/minus 1 percent accuracy, operating range -40 to 85 degrees C, max fluid pressure 20 bar, IP67 rating, RS-232/CAN/4-20 mA interface and automatic particle purge cycle.
• MT Modular Monitoring System

Quantifiable outcome

• Fast results in fraction of time compared to traditional lab testing
• +2 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Martechnic GmbHcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMarine Testing Solutions Ltd has partnered with Martechnic GmbH, a global leader in condition monitoring solutions for the maritime industry. This enduring collaboration reflects shared commitment to delivering cutting-edge tools and technologies that enhance operational efficiency, reduce downtime, and ensure compliance with international standards. Together they provide reliable, innovative solutions tailored to meet the evolving needs of modern marine operations.
• IDEXXcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMarine Testing Solutions Ltd is an authorized distributor of IDEXX media, trusted worldwide for accuracy and reliability in water testing. By offering IDEXX's industry-leading products, they ensure customers have access to the best solutions for monitoring and maintaining water quality. This partnership reinforces commitment to delivering high-quality, reliable marine testing products.
• ProSense B.V.coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMarine Testing Solutions Ltd partners with ProSense BV to supply their high-quality monitoring and testing solutions to the marine industry. ProSense BV is renowned for precision and reliability, enhancing performance and efficiency of water and fuel systems. As a trusted partner, they ensure customers have access to ProSense BV's innovative technologies.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Hach (Danaher): Hach is the dominant industrial/commercial water-quality instrument manufacturer covering chlorine, pH, turbidity, and microbiological reagents. Its industrial test kit and reagent catalog overlaps MTS's potable- and ballast-water kits at a global scale.
• IDEXX Water Testing: IDEXX manufactures microbiological media (Colilert, Enterolert, Compact Dry) that MTS distributes under partnership. IDEXX is the global standard in water-microbiology detection and a directly adjacent, partially overlapping peer in onboard drinking-water compliance testing.
• Tintometer (Lovibond): Tintometer's Lovibond brand makes pool, drinking-water and industrial water test kits, tablets, and colorimetric reagents globally. It is the closest comparable in portable colorimetric water test kits across potable, cooling, and boiler water applications.
• Martechnic GmbH: Martechnic is MTS's core strategic partner and effectively a direct peer in marine oil-condition monitoring (viscosity, density, humidity, particle, ferromagnetic sensors plus Twin Check, BN, Cat Fines kits). The product overlap is extensive and the two compete indirectly through distributors globally.
• Kittiwake (Parker Hannifin): Kittiwake, a brand within Parker Hannifin, supplies marine condition monitoring kits and instruments for fuel, lube, and cooling-water analysis. It is the most established direct competitor in onboard marine water and oil testing for commercial fleets.

Broad incumbents

• Intertek Group: Intertek runs marine cargo, fuel, and water testing services globally (including PSI fuel testing and ship-condition surveys). It sits in the incumbent testing layer alongside SGS and Bureau Veritas as a comparable for marine compliance budgets.
• Bureau Veritas: Bureau Veritas operates marine survey, testing, and certification services including bunker fuel quantity and quality (BQQ) sampling — overlapping with MTS's bunker sampling (Drip Sampler, MARPOL Annex VI systems) and water-testing kits.
• Roper Technologies: Roper owns multiple condition-monitoring and fluid-analysis brands (e.g., Sonatest, Neptune, ipTest) selling industrial oil/water sensors and NDT equipment. It is a broad-portfolio incumbent in industrial condition monitoring adjacent to MTS's niche marine focus.
• Veolia Water Technologies (Veolia): Veolia offers water testing instruments, chemicals, and full water-treatment services to industrial and marine customers. It competes with MTS for the broad marine water-quality budget but at far greater scale and portfolio breadth.
• SGS SA: SGS provides marine fuel-quality testing, ballast-water sampling, and industrial compliance services worldwide. As a major testing/certification incumbent, it is a frequent alternative for large fleet operators that MTS also targets.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/5216928

Compliance10 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Marine Testing Ltd