Cathelco has won an order to supply a seawater pipework anti-fouling system for a new FPSO which will be operated in the Cendor offshore oil field by Petrofac Malaysia.
The system will be installed on the MT Onozo, an Aframax tanker, which is being converted to an FPSO at the MHB yard in Pasir Gudang, Johor, Malaysia. After modification the vessel will be renamed the FPSO Cendor and deployed offshore Terengganu in West Malaysia.
Cathelco will be supplying the anti-fouling electrolysis tank system to protect seawater inlets and pipework against blockages caused by barnacles and mussels. The tank will be fitted with copper and ferrous anodes which are fed with an electrical current from a control panel.
The purpose of the tank is to dose seawater with copper ions which create an environment where fouling species larvae do not settle or breed. At the same time, ions from the ferrous anode help to maintain a protective oxide layer on the internal surfaces of pipes to suppress corrosion.
The dosed water will be distributed to intakes serving fire fighting pumps and ballast water pumps, plus machinery room and pump room seachests.
The electrolysis tank will be fabricated by Cathelco S.E.A, a subsidiary strategically based in Singapore. Built to ASME standards, it will house two copper anodes and one ferrous anode to protect the vessel’s pipework which is made from cupro-nickel. The tank will also contain a dedicated cathode to provide a return path for the current and eliminate the risk of ‘stray’ current corrosion.
“Electrolysis tanks provide a practical solution to the requirements of FPSOs where a number of inlets need to be protected against bio-fouling. One of the advantages is that the anodes can be easily replaced without drydocking, an important factor on vessels which remain on station for many years”, said Julianna Measures of Cathelco who has been closely involved in the project.
Cathelco are world leaders in the manufacture of seawater pipework anti-fouling systems with a record of more than 30,000 installations on commercial vessels and offshore platforms. They also produce ICCP corrosion protection systems for ships and offshore structures.
In recent years an increasing number of systems have been fitted to FPSOs. These include the Capixaba, Espirito Santo, P57, Okha, Cidade de Paraty and, more recently, the Xikomba which was supplied with an ICCP system in 2012.
[mappress] Press Release, January 07, 2013