Cathelco Supply Pipework Anti-Fouling Systems

Cathelco are supplying seawater pipework anti-fouling systems for a series of eight platform supply vessels (PSVs) which are being built by the Remontowa Shipbuilding yard in Gdansk.

Four of the 92.65 meter PSVs are already in service for Edison Chouest Offshore, the leading American suppliers of marine transportation to the offshore oil industry. The vessels are some of the largest in their class with deck areas of 1050 square meters enabling high volume goods to be transported.

The Cathelco systems on board the Bongo, Kudu, Sable and Oryx will protect the seawater lines against blockages caused by the growth of barnacles and mussels. This will involve the installation of copper and ferrous anodes in the forward and aft strainers which are wired to a control panel.

In operation, the copper anode produces ions which are carried by the flow of sea water and create an environment where barnacles and mussels do not settle or breed.

As the PSVs have CuNiFe pipework, the corrosion suppression function is provided by ferrous anodes. These produce ions which create a protective oxide coating on the internal surfaces of pipes to mitigate corrosion. More commonly, in the case of ships with steel pipework, the anti-corrosive function is achieved using aluminium anodes.

The remaining vessels in the series which are to be named Eland, Gemsbok, Springbok and Wildebeest are at various stages of construction and outfitting at Remontowa Shipbuilding and will be delivered by mid-summer 2014.