Page 76: of Marine News Magazine (November 2015)

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WORKBOAT EQUIPMENT

Pipe

Dream

Non-traditional piping systems are safely making inroads on today’s workboats – for all the right reasons.

By Joseph Keefe he global workboat equipment market is changing rapidly. On deck, in the wheelhouse and in the en-

Tgineroom; that’s typically an easy thing to see. Auto- mation, remote monitoring, Tier IV engines and ECDIS overlays usually get the headlines, but in truth, there are hidden improvements that don’t meet the eye. These carry cost, weight and manpower savings straight into your bot- tom line. Nowhere is that more apparent than in the in- creasingly frequent use of non-traditional piping materials for a myriad of vessel service roles.

Workboat operators can choose from many styles of non-traditional piping and materials, all of which come with myriad advantages. And, there are compelling reasons to do so. That’s because the cost-ef? cient workboat con- sists of more than just bells and whistles on deck. Go on: take a look under the hood.

SeaCor Piping from Georg Fischer

Just one word: Plastics. The iconic quote from the 1967 hit ? lm, The Graduate, actually came to have meaning. At sea, it took longer (as do most new concepts) to ? nd its way up the gangway. Nevertheless, Georg Fischer’s SeaCor is a

High Performance Polymer containing proprietary com- pounds that allow the material to have lower ? ame spread and smoke toxicity characteristics than other plastic piping systems available. Before 2010, plastics had been allowed in

Credit: Seacor

Overhead view of lavatory installation

November 2015

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