HOUSTON, May 12 /PRNewswire/ --

WATER STANDARD, a global vessel-based water desalination company, was honored with the Desalination Deal of the Year award at Global Water Intelligence's Global Water Awards Ceremony held Monday, April 27, 2009 in Zurich, Switzerland.

The award recognizes WATER STANDARD's contribution to redefining an industry and acknowledges WATER STANDARD's achievement in securing commitments of up to US$250 million in funding towards the development and construction of the first in its fleet of Seawater Desalination Vessels (SDV), an unprecedented achievement in the desalination sector.

Amanda Brock, CEO of WATER STANDARD, accepted the Desalination Deal of the Year award in Zurich, Switzerland, following a speech by Nobel Peace Prize winner and former United States Vice President Al Gore.

WATER STANDARD is honored to receive this award, said Brock. We have assembled an outstanding team of professionals and have made tremendous progress over the last year redefining how desalinated water can be delivered globally.

The SDV is a cost competitive environmentally responsible solution and this prestigious award highlights the prospects for our mobile desalination solution to help mitigate water shortages worldwide and provide point-of-use water delivery.

This is WATER STANDARD's second GWI recognition. In 2007 the Global Water Awards recognized the SDV in its Innovation of the Year category, calling WATER STANDARD an important new direction in the evolution of the desalination industry.

Global Water Intelligence is the international water industry's most prestigious publication. The Water Awards recognize excellence in the global water industry and represent what the industry perceives as the most important achievements of the past year.

The Desalination Deal of the Year award recognizes the deal signed during 2008 which represents the most significant step forward for the industry in terms of financial innovation and in meeting the demands of challenging circumstances.

About WATER STANDARD

WATER STANDARD is a global vessel-based seawater desalination company, which provides innovative solutions for the world's growing water needs by building and operating vessels that deliver treated water to clients onshore or to the offshore energy industry. WATER STANDARD uses proven reverse osmosis membrane technology and proprietary water intake and concentrate discharge systems in its designs to provide a mobile, environmentally responsible, and cost-effective solution to provide water where needed and address the severe water shortage that is challenging the world.

Website: www.waterstandard.com

Maria Cruickshank of WATER STANDARD, +1-713-400-4777, mcruickshank@waterstandard.com