Ship's Piping Systems

the piping, fittings, mechanisms, instruments, and other apparatus used on a ship for circulating, loading, and discharging liquids, steam, and gases. Equipment associated with the ship’s power plant is not included in the category.

A ship’s piping systems are responsible for providing shipboard drainage, ballast, fire protection, tap water supply, sewage disposal, heat and steam supply, ventilation and air conditioning, refrigeration, and compressed air. A ship contains a total of approximately 80 separate piping systems. Pumps, blowers, and other mechanisms in the systems may be powered by the ship’s main or auxiliary power systems or by individual motors.

Operating pressures in the piping may be as high as 15–20 meganewtons per m², and pipe diameters range from 3–5 mm to 1 m and more. Some piping systems are tens of kilometers long, and fluids are forced through the pipes by pumps that generate power in excess of 15 megawatts. The mandatory complement of systems designed to ensure the safety of a ship and prevent it from polluting the environment is specified by classification societies and other organizations, which also perform operational inspections of the piping systems.