GF Piping Systems retrofits a 92.700 GT cruise ship with prefabricated plastic solutions
In collaboration with Mec.Ship, the Swiss flow solutions provider has replaced the hot and cold water manifolds onboard a cruise ship that started its service life as Costa Luminosa. During the project, the two companies contributed state-of-the-art planning, engineering, and execution practices. As a result, the cruise liner now benefits from long-lasting and corrosion-free piping materials.
The 92.700 GT cruise ship started its service life in 2009 as Costa Luminosa and has the capacity for 2.800 passengers. After ten years of service, the existing hot and cold water manifolds showed signs of corrosion as they were made of metal. Because of this, the former owners decided to install prefabricated ecoFIT and INSTAFLEX solutions by GF Piping Systems.
In order to meet the tight project deadlines and install the new piping systems while the ship was in operation, GF Piping Systems collaborated with the Italian company Mec.Ship to make highly accurate measurements of the complex manifolds. The data gathered from 3D scanners was used to design the replacements using GF Piping Systems’ extensive CAD libraries and prefabrication capabilities. Combined with efficient jointing technologies such as butt fusion and electrofusion, the installation could be carried out quickly with minimal impact on the passengers and crew.
Roberto Chiesa, Head of Business Development Marine at GF Piping Systems, is pleased with the outcome of the project: “Our company has over 30 years of experience as a supplier and partner of renowned shipyards and ship owners, and we are committed to offering innovative, energy-saving piping solutions for the marine sector. Thanks to the combined design, engineering, and prefabrication knowledge of GF Piping Systems and Mec.Ship, we were able to create replacement manifolds that are perfectly adapted to the specific needs of the former Costa Luminosa. The material properties of ecoFIT and INSTAFLEX ensure a corrosion- and maintenance-free operation of the lightweight systems during the ship’s entire service life – as we say, they create connections for life.”
ecoFIT is a polyethylene piping system suitable for transporting water and wastewater at operational temperatures between -50°C and 60°C and has an expected service life of 25 years. INSTAFLEX, the polybutene solution by GF Piping Systems, is designed for drinking water installations. Polybutene does not release any taste or pollutants, while smooth inner surfaces prevent limescale deposits.
Thanks to the material properties of the ecoFIT and INSTAFLEX piping systems, the hot and cold water manifold benefit from a corrosion- and maintenance-free operation.
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Sobre a GF FGS
Em fevereiro de 2021, a GF Piping Systems adquiriu a principal fabricante brasileira de tubos de polietileno de alta densidade, conexões e equipamentos complementares, FGS Brasil Indústria e Comércio Ltda (FGS), que passou a se chamar GF FGS. Com a força combinada de ambas as empresas, a GF FGS oferece uma gama completa e integrada de produtos e serviços para inúmeros segmentos de mercado no Brasil, reforçando ainda mais o compromisso da GF Piping Systems de crescer no país e na região da América Latina. A GF FGS oferece soluções e serviços para água, gás e aplicações industriais, fornecendo aos clientes produtos e tecnologias inovadoras e capacitando-os a atender todas as suas necessidades.
Como líder no fornecimento de soluções para o transporte seguro e sustentável de fluidos, a GF Piping Systems cria conexões para a vida (Connections for Life). A divisão é líder no setor de soluções de tubulação estanques para inúmeras e exigentes aplicações no mercado. Seu consistente foco no cliente e na inovação se reflete em sua presença global de vendas, serviços, fabricação e em seu portfólio premiado, incluindo conexões, válvulas, tubos, automação, pré-fabricação e tecnologias de união de tubulações.
A GF Piping Systems possui empresas de vendas próprias em 31 países, o que significa que está sempre ao lado de seus clientes. Unidades de produção em 36 regiões localidades na América, Europa e Ásia garantem disponibilidade suficiente e entrega rápida e confiável. Em 2022, a GF Piping Systems faturou CHF 2.160 milhões com 8.085 colaboradores. A GF Piping Systems é uma divisão da Georg Fischer AG, fundada em 1802 e sediada em Schaffhausen, Suíça.