Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Requirements in Plastics Piping

The purchase and installation of pipework constitutes an appreciable proportion of the total cost and weight of a ship.
On a modern frigate 4% of the total materials cost for the ship is absorbed by pipework and fittings and when it is remembered that the huge cost of guns, fire control and other electronic equipment is Included in the total the contribution of pipework to that part of the cost under the shipbuilder's control is very significant and there is therefore some incentive to shipbuilders to look for savings, The proportions of weight of pipework to total displacement is again 4% which may appear not too large to non shipbuilders, but the fact that much pipework goes into the higher parts of the ship has an affect upon stability too and may therefore nave an affect upon the ships beam which would again affect al! up weight, A ship being essentially a self contained habitation
with the additional consideration of self propulsion leads to the expectation that most types of pipe systems are found on board, This is indeed the case and there follows a !ist which is probably by no means comprehensive, Not all systems would be found in any one ship.