UK: Cathelco Wins Seawater Pipework Anti-Fouling Equipment Contract

Cathelco has won an order to supply seawater pipework anti-fouling equipment for the first purpose built jack-up rig to be constructed for Saudi Aramco. Another order for anti-fouling equipment has come from Singapore Technologies Engineering (STE) who are building four anchor handling tugs for Swire Pacific Offshore Operations.

The rig will be built at the Keppel FELS yard in Singapore and is scheduled for delivery in the second half of 2012 when it will be deployed by Saudi Aramco in the Middle East.

Cathelco anti-fouling systems are designed to eliminate blockages in seawater pipework caused by the growth of barnacles and mussels. They will be supplying equipment to protect four strainers on the jack-up rig, each with flow rates of up to 1,160 m3/hr.

The systems consist of copper and aluminium anodes which are mounted in the strainers and fed with an electrical current from a control panel. The copper anodes produce ions which prevent barnacle and mussel larvae from settling and breeding. At the same time, the aluminium anode produces ions which suppress corrosion inside the pipework.

Each of the 92 metre tugs will be installed with Cathelco anti-fouling systems to protect pipework connected to two seawater pump seachests and one winch seachest. As the vessels have cupro-nickel pipework, Cathelco will be using a combination of copper and ferrous anodes (instead of aluminium) to eliminate bio-fouling and produce a protective oxide layer on the internal surfaces of pipes.

Cathelco are also leading manufacturers of ICCP hull corrosion protection systems for commercial and offshore vessels.

An ICCP system will be supplied for the Jurong Espadon 1, a next generation drillship with advanced capabilities for ultra-deepwater operations to be built in Sembcorp Marine’s Brazilian shipyard.

The drillship will have fore and aft ICCP systems, each consisting of an arrangement of two 150 amp diver change elliptical anodes mounted port and starboard and two reference electrodes.

The reference electrodes measure the electrical potential at the hull/seawater interface and send a reading to the control panel which raises or lowers the anode output accordingly. This ensures that the hull receives the optimum level of corrosion protection at all times. The diver change anodes and reference electrodes can be replaced without the need for drydocking, an important factor for drillships which operate for prolonged periods at sea.

Technical support for the above projects will be provided by Cathelco S.E.A based in Singapore, a subsidiary of Cathelco, which holds stocks of equipment and provides experienced personnel to supervise contracts.

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Shipbuilding Tribune Staff, February 15, 2012; Image: cathelco