Economic and Technical Feasibility of Copper-Nickel Sheathing of Ship Hulls

Abstract

This paper is an objective evaluation of the feasibility of copper-nickel (Cu-Ni) sheathing as a protection against biofouling for ship hulls. The first part of the paper covers the economic feasibility of Cu-Ni sheathing. An economic analysis was performed for trade-off purposes using the life-cycle method. Three different antifouling systems were analyzed for this purpose: conventional antifouling paint, self-polishing copolymer, and Cu-Ni sheathing. In this analysis two ship types were considered, a medium-speed roll-on/rolloff vessel and a slow-speed crude oil carrier. In the second part of the paper the technical feasibility of Cu-Ni sheathing is evaluated. The current technology is discussed for the physical application of Cu-Ni sheathing to the hull, including several methods of attaching the sheathing. Current test results on the Cu-Ni sheathing test panels installed on the tanker Arco Texas are presented and new cost-effective welding techniques for Cu-Ni sheathing of ship hulls are proposed.