E N V I R O N M E N T
CORROSION
CONSEQUENCES
ON THE HIGH SEAS
system will fail, due to corrosion. Australia's maritime
When pursuing suspected smugglers through the waters off
northern Australia or rushing humanitarian aid to a cyclone-ravaged
Pacific island, the last thing the commanding officer of a naval ship
needs to worry about is whether the hull will leak, or a critical
industry operates
in a wide variety
of open water
and coastal
environments ranging from hot,
humid tropical to windy, freezing
sub-Antarctic. According to
international standards, most of
these are classified as having very
high to extreme corrosion severity
containing high levels of salt laden
aerosols.
The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) has
all its water borne assets and most
support infrastructure exposed to
these environments. For the RAN,
corrosion has consequences in
addition to the economic ones
faced by other organisations.
The RAN consists of approximately
50 warships including frigates,
destroyers, amphibious landing
ships, submarines and patrol boats.
It also operates minehunters,
resupply vessels and hydrographic
survey ships. In addition to its
vessels, the RAN's rotary wing
aircraft are integral to its operations.
Generally, warships can tolerate
higher levels of corrosion causing
structural damage than aircraft.
All of the RAN's vessels, equipment
and structures must be protected
to minimise the impact of corrosion.
Traditionally, naval maintenance was
carried out on fixed-time schedules
such as the rolling hull survey of
RAN frigates. Such programs do not
allow for the impact of the actual
operating environment encountered
by individual vessels and its impact
on operational availability.
However, when an asset is managed
effectively, the impact of corrosion
can be minimised. According to