Cathelco Joint Venture, Brazil
The resurgence of shipbuilding in Brazil has led Cathelco to set up a joint venture with Workship do Brasil, Rio de Janeiro based marine equipment suppliers, which will now be known as Cathelco Brasil.
Cathelco, based in the UK, is a manufacturer of marine pipework anti-fouling systems and impressed current cathodic protection (ICCP) systems for ships, FPSOs and semi-submersibles. Cathelco currently has over 20,000 installations on record.
The revival of shipbuilding in Brazil is being driven by the success of Petrobras, the state-controlled oil multinational which has discovered two massive offshore oil fields in the last few years.
“We have won orders to supply Cathelco Jotun equipment for a series of 10 Suezmax tankers which are being built in Brazil for Transpetro and these could lead the way to further orders,” said Alisson de Franca, managing director of Cathelco Brasil.
The 10 ships are the largest of the 26 new tanker buildings which form the first phase of Transpetro’s fleet expansion program. The vessels are being built at Estaleiro Atlantico, one of Brazil’s biggest shipyards, located at Recife. Each of the 157,000 dwt crude carriers will be installed with Cathelco Jotun marine pipework anti-fouling equipment in conjunction with ICCP hull corrosion protection systems.
The ICCP equipment will consist of a 150amp forward system using elliptical anodes and a 600amp aft system using linear loop anodes which emit a powerful current from a relatively small surface area. The pipework anti-fouling system will protect two seachests on each ship using copper and aluminium anodes connected to a control panel.
In December, Cathelco Brasil won an order to supply a series of five 2,700dwt container vessels with ICCP equipment. The ships are being constructed at the Eisa Istaleiro Ilha yard in Rio for Log-In Logistic Intermodal and will each have 350amp forward and aft systems.
Another order was received for the supply of a 12 way marine pipework anti-fouling system for the BGL1 a 400 ft derrick lay barge operated by Petrobras which is being retrofitted at Brasfells Shipyard in Rio.
Last autumn, Cathelco Brazil secured orders for Cathelco Jotun A/F and ICCP systems which will be installed on two 47,000 dwt clean product carriers which are under construction at the Eisa shipyard. Both of the vessels will have 100 amp forward systems and 250 amp aft ICCP systems utilizing disc anodes. The pipework anti-fouling systems will protect 3 seachests on each ship.
An increasing level of affluence in Brazil is also boosting the country’s luxury yacht building industry. Cathelco have supplied equipment for two yachts which are being built at the Fittipaldi Nautica yard near Rio. The first yacht to be installed was the Seashell, a 110.5 ft aluminium hulled craft which has a 10 amp Alutek ICCP system and Nano A/F system protecting two seachests.
In June, Cathelco Brasil will be exhibiting at Brasil Offshore 2009, the third largest exhibition in the world for the offshore sector with over 500 exhibitors.