The 3,500 dwt vessels, measuring approximately 127m long and 21m wide, will both be installed with Cathelco ICCP hull corrosion protection systems and marine pipework anti-fouling systems.

The C-Shield ICCP systems will consist of two 75 amp elliptical anodes mounted on either side of the hull, together with an arrangement of reference cells. The reference cells measure the electrical potential at the hull/seawater interface and feed a signal to the control panel which automatically raises or lowers the anode output. In this way, the hull receives the optimum level of corrosion protection at all times. The propeller shaft is also brought into the scope of the system with a Cathelco shaft earthing assembly.

Cathelco are also supplying marine pipework anti-fouling systems for the vessels. This will involve installing pairs of copper and aluminium anodes in two seachests, connected to a control panel. In operation, the copper anode produces ions which prevent barnacles and mussels from settling and breeding, whilst the aluminium anode releases ions which create a cupro-aluminium film on the internal surfaces of pipes to suppress corrosion. The two systems use a combined control panel which is modular in design and very compact in comparison with conventional equipment.

‘The ability to use a single panel was a major factor in winning the orders for the vessels due to the space constraints within the engine rooms’, said Ramesh Rajoo, a senior sales engineer with Cathelco S.E.A. Pte Ltd, based in Singapore.