
Page 35: of Offshore Engineer Magazine (May/Jun 2025)
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Image courtesy Fugro
Image courtesy PPG
Marine growth cleaning
Offshore wind platforms campaigns are critical to our are typically uncrewed and clients. They are often classified remote, severely limiting the as priority 1 tasks when part ability to perform regular of a larger campaign or scope, inspections and maintenance.” as they can uncover significant defects with their assets.” – ERIC KING,
PPG GLOBAL SEGMENT MANAGER, – DR. STEFANIA DE GREGORIO,
POWER & MINING, PROTECTIVE AND
PRINCIPAL MARINE ECOLOGIST, FUGRO
MARINE COATINGS without any signifcant change in stiffness, and hydrody- fouling on submerged assets will allow action suited to the namic drag can be pushed beyond the original engineering particular environment, she says.
design. Biofouling may also accelerate structure corrosion Eric King, PPG Global Segment Manager, Power & by creating oxygen depleted zones which then result in an- Mining, Protective and Marine Coatings, contrasts off- odic sites by blocking compressed current distribution. shore wind turbines with oil and gas platforms: “Offshore
For cables on the seabed, biofouling may act as an added wind platforms are typically uncrewed and remote, se- layer of insulation that prevents the cable from dissipating verely limiting the ability to perform regular inspections heat effectively. This creates a risk of overheating. Biofoul- and maintenance. This geographic and logistical isolation ing also affects multibeam and sonar surveys by signal at- magnifes the impact of biofouling, as accumulation can tenuation and false bottom detection, says De Gregorio. go undetected and unaddressed for extended periods.”
Biofouling obscures a structure’s true dimensions in mul- And wind turbines are expected to operate for 35 years tibeam echosounder data and creates data gaps through or more, much longer than the 25-year durability typically shadowing effects. validated under current standards like NORSOK M-501 “Marine growth cleaning campaigns are critical to our and ISO 12944-9. Operators therefore select advanced clients,” she says. “They are often classifed as priority 1 protective coatings for their performance across multiple tasks when part of a larger campaign or scope, as they can stress factors including abrasion, corrosion, seawater im- uncover signifcant defects with their assets.” Having ro- mersion and mechanical impact. bust, site-specifc data on the engineering effects of bio- "The splash zone is one of the most critical areas for
MAY/JUNE 2025 OFFSHORE ENGINEER 35