Cathelco supplies equipment for four jackups
Cathelco is supplying marine growth prevention systems (MGPS) for four jackup barges owned by Gulf Marine Services in order to protect them against pipework blockages.
Blockages caused by the growth of barnacles and mussels can impair the efficiency of engine cooling systems and ancillary equipment so it’s an important preventative move by the operator.
“Bio-fouling organisms grow rapidly in warm, shallow waters and therefore Cathelco MGPS are widely used on jackups to prevent the problems caused by blockages in pipework”, said Stevenson Verghese, managing director of Cathelco Middle East.
Multiple installations
The systems will be installed over the coming months when the Kikuyu, Kawawa, Kudeta and Keloa vessels return to the GMS yard in Abu Dhabi for scheduled maintenance work.
Cathelco will be supplying two types of MGPS systems for each of the vessels, one to provide protection when they are in transit with their hulls floating on the water and the other for when the platforms are in the elevated position.
The seachest installations, which will protect the vessels in transit, will consist of two pairs of copper and aluminium anodes connected to a control panel, whilst in the elevated position copper anodes will be used protect the submersible pumps.
In operation, the copper anode produces ions which flow through the pipework and create an environment where mussel and barnacle larvae do not settle or grow. At the same time, the aluminium ions produce an anti-corrosive layer on the internal surfaces of pipes.
The concentrations of copper are extremely small, but effective in preventing blockages caused by bio-fouling. As a result, the system is environmentally benign and does not harm the wider marine habitat.
By Anne-Marie Causer
