The international shipping industry is an industry that is thriving fast and participating in approximately 90% of world trade. Without the involvement of this industry, the bulk transport and worldwide business of raw materials wouldn’t be possible, while food and other goods would be unaffordable for most people.
World trade continues to expand for competitive shipment costs, the growing efficiency of shipping, and improved economic liberalization.So, it’s safe to say that the shipping industry’s future looks golden!
As per the statistics, more than 50,000 merchant ships are trading internationally. In addition, more than a million seafarers are employed in the shipping industry, comprising of different nationalities.
Piping in Shipping Industry:
Piping is used extensively in ships for all sorts of varied reasons, including:
- Bilge Systems
- Ballast Systems
- Sprinkler systems
- CO2 piping
- Engine cooling systems
Many of these pipes (like sanitary piping) can be made of either plastic or mild steel. Those that carry either potentially hazardous or particularly corrosive chemicals or fluids will be manufactured from stainless steel due to its excellent properties like high strength, corrosion resistance, and durability.
Stainless Steel in Shipping Industry:
Steel has been used for more than long 150 years in the shipbuilding industry because of its mechanical properties and relatively low cost. In addition, the stainless steel pipes has proved to be very useful in naturally highly corrosive seawater environments.
There is technically no industry standard for marine grade stainless, but 316 and 316L are traditionally the most common grades found in the shipping industry. This is due to the inclusion of molybdenum in their composition. This alloying property helps to prevent saltwater from causing pitting and corrosion, but it does mean that these grades are more expensive.
Stainless steel in the shipping industry is used for all things including the piping systems. For instance, new structural seamless stainless steel pipes have been developed, which has resulted in corrosion-resistant pipingin the transportation ships. Interestingly, by law, crude oil tankers are now required to have double hulls to prevent oil spillage.
Another advantage of structural steel is that it is lighter, which aids in reducing weight in the ships, consequently decreasing both fuel consumption and CO2 emissions.
Duplex stainless steel is also becoming popular in the shipping industry. There are numerous reasons to choose stainless steel pipes to serve the various purposes:
- Excellent corrosion resistance against many liquids
- Extremely strong, making it possible for construction engineers to use thinner wall thicknesses and structural profiles, therefore, reducing charge weight. For example, using Duplex Stainless Steel for storage tanks can result in a weight reduction for some construction components of up to 40%.
- Customized unique profiles can be manufactured on a project-specific basis
- It has good welding characteristics
The growth of the LNG industry also has a lot to answer for in the increase of steels being used in the shipping industry. This is because the transportation method is shipping via giant LNG tankers, which are explicitly designed to preserve the natural gas in a liquid form.
Nickel steel alloys are the most effective metals for the production, containment, and storage of liquefied natural gas (LNG) and other cryogenic substances. This is due to its unrivaled ability to withstand the impact of very low temperatures.
Several shipbuilders are now choosing to use stainless steel as their primary construction material due to its strength, durability, and ability to withstand corrosion. Special Piping Materials is increasingly working with these manufacturers and is happy to advise and supply accordingly.
The seamless stainless steel pipes and tubes required for the shipping industry should only be obtained from the most reputable and experienced mills worldwide.
Furthermore, these reputed manufacturers can organize any required testing, ensuring that the products perform reliably and as intended.
