Sidney firm to help new ferries repel marine pests
Electronic devices that make tiny marine organisms steer clear of ships’ hulls are being installed on two new B.C. Ferries vessels being built in Romania.
Sidney-based EMCS Industries has received purchase orders for its anti-fouling Noxx system from ferry builder Damen Shipyards Group, said Trevor Tasker, EMCS president and chief executive.
Tasker is thrilled that Damen, a global leader in shipbuilding, is using EMCS’ product. “Damen is a huge one for us,” he said.
Damen, with headquarters in the Netherlands, is building two minor-class vessels for B.C. Ferries. The $86.5-million project announced last year will see the ferries go into service in 2020.
The vessels are being built at Damen’s Galati yard on the Danube River.
Hull fouling is a persistent problem for all sizes and types of vessels. Marine organisms, including invertebrates, attach onto hulls and other parts of a ship that are underwater. They can corrode vessels, clog pipes and pumps and spread invasive organisms to different parts of the world as ships travel to various destinations.
Ship owners are looking for new ways to keep hulls clean.
In the past, tributyl tin-based paint was commonly used to protect hulls. But that product is highly toxic to marine life.
Transport Canada has adopted an international convention that bans tributyl-tin to prevent pollution from ships and eliminates use of dangerous chemicals.
EMCS, established 63 years ago, was originally called Electrolytic Marine Corrosion Services. It specializes in providing anti-fouling products, such as its Marelco anode system, which uses copper anodes that produce ions in small concentrations that are carried through water to exposed areas of a vessel.
The Marelco Noxx lfp system is environmentally friendly, Tasker said.
It was invented in the 1970s by namesake Derek Knox. It uses “almost zero power,” and can run on a 12-volt system, said Tasker. The system has a patent pending.
It does not harm marine organisms, but encourages their larvae to go elsewhere. It’s believed the low-volume, low-frequency audio signal it transmits mimics predators, Tasker said.
A control panel and emitters are installed on the interior of a ship and the signal is transmitted through the hull, he said.
EMCS said the system provides total protection from marine organisms such as barnacles, mussels, pinworms and other crustaceans.
Each system for the new ferries will cost $8,500, Tasker said.
Damen has an agreement with Victoria’s Point Hope Shipyards to provide technical and warranty support for the two new ferries, which means repair and maintenance will be carried out in B.C.