And this is why steel ships have a maximum life expectancy of 40 years or so. It isn’t feasible to replace all the miles of pipes and valves on the ship.
“And this is why steel ships have a maximum life expectancy of 40 years or so. It isn’t feasible to replace all the miles of pipes and valves on the ship.”
The piping, valves, engines, even the hull on ships are replaced over time. For example, the shipyard I retired from worked on this vessel regularly:
“COLUMBIA is a Dredger built in 1944 by US NAVAL SHIPYARD - BOSTON MA, U.S.A.. Currently sailing under the flag of United States (USA). Formerly also known as COLUMBIA, COLUMBUS, MILLARD COUNTY, MILLARD COUNTY LST 9. It’s gross tonnage is 3081 tons.”
https://www.balticshipping.com/vessel/imo/7428263
I actually wondered sometimes if this ship had one piece of the original ship left. Note it’s an ex-Navy ship.