Cathelco wins orders for new cruise and commercial ships

Cathelco MGPS conyrol panel and anodes

FEBRUARY 19, 2018 — Chesterfield, U.K., based Cathelco has won orders to supply equipment for a number of cruise and commercial vessels on order at European and Far Eastern shipyards.

Impressed current cathodic protection (ICCP) systems will be supplied for a total of five cruise vessels which are being built by Fincantieri in Italy.

One of the systems will be installed on the latest Princess Cruises vessel which is being purpose-built for the Chinese market with the capacity to accommodate 3,600 guests. The 143,000 grt ship, scheduled for delivery in 2019, will be identical to the Royal Princess, Regal Princess and Majestic Princess.

The Cathelco ICCP system, consisting of an arrangement of hull mounted anodes and reference electrodes wired to a thyristor control panel, will protect the wetted surface of the hull against corrosion. In operation, the reference electrodes measure the electrical potential at the hull/seawater interface and send a signal to the control panel which automatically raises or lowers the output to the anodes. In this way, the hull receives the optimum level of corrosion protection at all times.

Cathelco is also supplying ICCP systems for two 135,500 grt cruise ships that Fincantieri is building for Costa Asia and P&O Cruises Australia. The hulls of both vessels will be protected against corrosion with 200 amp forward systems and 400 amp stern systems.

Viking Ocean Cruises already has Cathelco ICCP systems installed on six of its latest ships ordered from Fincantieri. It has now ordered a further two vessels from the Italian shipbuilder that will also be installed with Cahelco ICCP equipment.

Outside of the cruise sector, Cathelco is supplying two types of system for six 82,000 dwt bulk carriers that are to be built for Oldendorff Carriers by the Hantong Heavy Industries shipyard in China.

Each of the vessels will be installed with marine growth prevention systems (MGPS) to protect seawater pipework against biofouling and ICCP systems to safeguard the hulls against corrosion.

The MGPS systems consist of copper and aluminum anodes which are fitted in the seachests and wired to a control panel. In operation the copper anodes produce ions which flow through the pipework system and create an environment where the larvae of barnacles and mussels do not settle or grow. At the same time, ions from the aluminum anodes create an anti-corrosive layer on the internal surfaces of pipes.

Cathelco MGPS and ICCP systems will also be installed on four 38,800 dwt chemical tankers which are being built by South Korea’s HHI for Carl Büttner of Bremen for delivery between July 2018 and September 2019

Meanwhile, Brittany Ferries’ newest cruise ferry is to be built at the Flensburger shipyard in Germany. The vessel, named Honfleur, will be installed with a Cathelco ICCP system to protect the hull against corrosion. It will operate on the company’s busiest route from Portsmouth to Caen and is planned to enter service in spring 2019.