What is Marine Growth Preventive

System (MGPS) On a Ship?

Ships while sailing use seawater for several purposes. The seawater is used in the
ship’s system and discharged after the use. However, seawater contains several
marine organisms which enter the ship along with the seawater and deposit and
flourish on the parts of the ship’s system. If preventive measures are not taken, the
marine growth can cause damage to the particular part in the long run. In this article
we will learn about the causes and effects of marine growth in a ship’s system along
with the measures to fight it.

What Causes Marine Growth?

Sea water contains both macro and micro marine organisms such as sea worm,
molluscs, barnacles, algae, hard shells like acorn barnacles etc. These organisms
stick to the surface of the ship and flourish over there, resulting in marine growth.

Marine fouling can form huge clusters of marine growth inside the piping system of
the ship. This is mainly caused because of the entering of the seawater into the
seawater system. The organisms find the perfect spot inside the system wherein the
environmental conditions and other relevant factors such as temperature, ph,
nutrients etc are appropriate for them to breed and disseminate.
Effects of Marine Growth

As the marine organisms flourish they block and narrow the passage of cooling
water in the ship’s system resulting in the following factors:

– Impairing the heat transfer system.

– Overheating of several water-cooled machineries.

– Increase in the rate of corrosion and thinning of pipes.

– Reduced efficiency which can lead to loss of vessel speed and loss of time.

Fighting Marine Growth

Credits: Cafe Nervosa/wikipedia.org

To avoid formation of marine growth MGPS or marine growth preventive system is

used onboard ship. Description and working of MGPS is as follows.

Basic principle on which MGPS runs is electrolysis. The process involves usage of
copper, aluminum and ferrous anodes. The anodes are normally fixed in pairs in the
main sea chest or in such place where they are in the direction of the flow of water.
The system consists of a control unit which supplies impressed current to anodes
and monitors the same. While in operation, the copper anode produces ions, which
are carried away by water into the piping and machinery system. Concentration of
copper in the solution is less then 2 parts per billion but enough to prevent marine life
from settling.

Due to the impressed current, the aluminum/ferrous anode produces ions, which
spread over the system and produce a anti corrosive film over the pipes, heat
exchanger, valves, refrigeration and ac unit etc, internally.

MGPS anodes are fitted with specially designed safety cap which helps in removing
the anode for replacement on board ship. Normally MGPS have a design life which
coincides with the dry dock of the vessels.
4 Types of Anti-fouling Systems Used
on Board Ships to Prevent Marine
Growth
Biofouling is one of the main problems faced by every type of ship at the sea. Marine
growth such as barnacles and mussels have been the reason for problems such as
decreased ship efficiency, corrosion etc.

Biofouling not only sticks to the external surface of the ships but also gets into the
water intakes and sticks to the surface of the pipes leading to problems such as
blockage and corrosion.

Though mechanical removing tools can be used to get rid of such marine growth,
this is not always possible. For this reason, different types of marine growth prevent
systems are used on board ships, along with anti-fouling paints.

The main types of preventive measures used on ships are:

1. Electrolytic system
2. Chemical dosing
3. Ultrasonic system
4. Electro-chlorination
1. Electrolytic system
This is one of the most commonly used systems to fight biofouling on ships.

The electrolytic system consists of pairs of anodes, mostly copper and aluminum (or
iron). The anodes are mounted in the sea chest or the strainer.

DC current is passed through the copper anodes, which produce ions that are
carried with the seawater in the whole piping network. These copper ions in the
seawater prevent marine organisms from settling down and multiplying on the
surface of the pipes.

The second anode is used to prevent corrosion of the metal surface. The iron
anodes help in preventing layers of oxide films of the metals from breaking down by
the corrosive agents (sulphur) of seawater. This system also gives protection to
valves, condensers, engine cooling systems and ancillary equipment.

A control panel measures and monitors the output of each of the anodes.

2. Chemical Dosing
Chemical dosing is also a common method which is used to prevent marine growth
in piping network. Anti-fouling chemical such as ferrous chloride is used to dose sea
water boxes. The chemical coats the pipework with a protective ferrous layer to
prevent corrosion.

3. Ultrasonic
High frequency waves are also used as a method to prevent marine growth in piping
systems. Ultrasonic system is supposed to be known as one of the most highly
effective methods to prevent biofouling. A reduction in biofouling of as much as 80%
is claimed by this method.
According to research, ultrasonics is supposed to have two types of effects on anti-
fouling.

1. A disturbance action because of the high frequency waves which renders the habitat
unacceptable
2. A mechanical action on the organisms which are trying to deposit adhesive. It not
only helps in preventing it from solidifying but also acts on 4-5mm organisms which
are already anchored.

In the ultrasonic method, a wave generator produces and sends electrical impulses
at high frequency. These waves are passed through a coaxial cable to transducers
which are mounted externally to the sea chests or strainers.

The transducers contain piezoelectric ceramic crystals, which when excited by

electrical impulses, generate an ultrasonic beam.

The main advantage of this system is that it is non-invasive and no parts are in
contact with sea water. Moreover, no toxic substances are produced.

4. Electro-chlorination
Electro-chlorination is a method in which chlorine is generated to produce sodium
hypochlorite, which is used to prevent fouling.
Titanium is used as the cathode material whereas titanium coated with 100 micro-
inches of platinum is used as anodes. Titanium is an electrochemically inert element
at positive voltages less than 9 volts. The anode/cathode voltage is kept 7 volts.

Chlorine is generated at the anodes along with other elements to form sodium
hyperchlorite. A large amount of hydrogen gas is also produced which should be
evacuated safely.

The layer at the anode in consumed at a rate of 6 mg/ampere per year. However, it
depends on the unit voltages and currents supplied. The total output of chlorine is a
function of current rather than flow through the unit. Thus adequate flow is required
to ensure cooling and to prevent calcareous deposits.

10pp chlorine in sea water would kill all marine life quickly, whereas 1 PPM will
prevent fouling. This can be tested on board.

It is to note that this system is designed to be used only in sea water and not in fresh
water.

Biofouling is one of those problems which have been bothering the shipping industry
since the start. Project such as AMBIO has been implemented to find solid solutions
to this problem.

Advances have already been made in the field of anti-fouling paints and anti-marine
growth systems. Some innovative techniques that can be used to prevent biofouling
in the future are anti-fouling system inspired from floating seeds and special
molecules of bacteria.
17 Pro Tips For Efficient Marine
Growth Prevention System (MGPS)
On Ships
The Marine Growth Prevention System (MGPS) has been developed for ships with
the sole purpose of tackling marine organism growth, preventing it from depositing
on the ship’s interior piping systems, which are continuously supplied with sea water.

The anode in the MGPS system generates ions that spread in the seawater system,
producing an antifouling and anti-corrosive layer over the internal sides of sea pipes,
heat exchanger (i.e. coolers and condensers), valves in seawater system,
refrigeration systems, AC units etc.

The three types of alloys used for anodes are:

Copper Alloyed Anodes: This is the most used type to prevent marine fouling in
piping, strainers, heat exchangers, pumps etc.

Aluminium Alloyed Anodes: This type is used in conjunction with copper alloy
anodes to prevent corrosion throughout the ferrous piping system.

Ferrous Alloyed Anodes: They are used in conjunction with copper alloy anodes to
prevent corrosion throughout Cu/Ni pipework.

An MGPS system can be installed on the ship in following ways:

Anodes Mounted on Sea Chest: They are commonly installed in new buildings and
have a working life such that they can run till the next drydocking.
Anodes Mounted in strainers in the seawater pipeline: They have an advantage
of replacing the anodes without affecting the seawater supply to ship’s system.

Treatment tank setup with a spray nozzle in sea chest: In this system, a separate
electrolysis tank with anodes is installed which sprays the ion through the nozzle in
the sea chest. This system is installed on ships where sea chest or strainer mounting
is not possible.
With the MGPS functioning efficiently, the systems using seawater will have
following benefits:

 Marine organisation growth on the surface of pipe or valve will decrease the flow.
MGPS helps in maintaining a good seawater circulation
 Eliminating corrosion in the pipelines
 Increasing the cleaning duration of the seawater system which will be very frequent
in the absence of MGPS
 Maintain the efficiency of the system and machinery supplied with seawater
 MGPS adds to the energy savings of the ship
Here are 17 tips to ensure Marine Growth Prevention System (MGPS) always
provide the top-notch performance to get the benefits stated above:

1. Ensure there is no aluminium pipes or parts attached to the seawater system in

which MGPS copper anodes are connected. In a copper-based anode or MGPS
systems, the aluminium will have a chemical reaction and act as an anode in the
vicinity of copper, leading to severe corrosion of aluminium parts

2. The current settings for the MGPS should always be maintained as prescribed by
the maker. A high current value setting will lead to a shorter anode life, and a lower
current setting will increase the anode life

3.The typical current value on which the majority of MGPS anodes work comes in
the range of 0 to 2 amps per anode. This value can be manually adjusted in a range
of 0.2 amp steps

4. When the MGPS is installed on a non-ferrous metal surface (e.g. pipe upstand),
the installation flanges of the anodes must be provided with an isolation material to
ensure there is no electrical contact between the anode and non-ferrous surface, i.e.
between two dissimilar metals

5. When the MGPS anode assembly is installed on the strainer (the anodes usually
are installed on the strainer lid), it is essential to correctly place the anode inside the
strainer basket in such a way that the anode surface does not touch any metallic
components
6. Whenever the strainer is opened up for inspection or cleaning by lifting the lid,
ensure to disconnect the supply of these anodes and not to damage them when
removing the strainer basket lifting bar

7. When the MGPS anodes are installed in a sea chest, ensure they are not placed
in the “dead zones”, i.e. where the water flow is minimal. They should be mounted in
the central passage of the seawater flow from the inlet grids to the seawater suction

8. Ensure not to use oversize cables for the MGPS anodes as they are likely to
cause mechanical overload on the terminal blocks.

9. Under daily watchkeeping duties, check the digital display ammeters are working
properly. When an anode has nearly consumed, the corresponding display will show
a low value.

10. If the anode current value is dropped to a low level, turn off the current knob to
zero, i.e. no supply to the anode and renew the anode at the first chance. After
renewing the anode, reset the current to the previously given current settings

11. For treatment tank type MGPS, open the air vent on a daily basis to prevent air
pockets inside the tank
12. When replacing or renewing the anodes, ensure to carefully unscrew the
mounting nuts to prevent the anodes falling down the sea chest, which may damage
the chest or the anode itself

While drydocking of ships, the MGPS anodes are normally opened up for
overhauling and checks as no water is present in the sea chest.

Following points to be considered when working on MGPS system in drydock:

13. While opening the anode, never lift or support the anode from its cable or apply
any mechanical load to anode cable.

14. The new spare anode which is of held-in type or flange sleeves type is supplied
unpainted with a rust prevention coating. Ensure to remove this coating before the
installation. Never use a wire brush or mechanical instrument to remove this layer.
White spirits or turpentine can be used for the removal of this coating.

15. If anodes are installed in a space where blast cleaning or painting is not finished,
they must be suitably protected. Before flooding the spaces, check to ensure that the
protection has been removed. Also, remove any paint, tape adhesive residue or
grease from the anode surfaces.

16. Ensure the renewed anodes are mounted in the vertical position unless
otherwise stated by the makers or manufacturer.

17. During dry docking for retrofit systems, before the vessel is launched or
refloated, check the isolation of each anode from the hull, as well as continuity of the
positive feed circuit to the anode

The MGPS installed on a ship must be effective against a large variety of organisms
due to the multiple numbers and complex nature of fouling communities present in
waters of different parts of the world the ship ply to.

Any antifouling agent used within the MGPS must comply with the local and
international regulations and requirements, particularly about biocidal discharges.