9. Corrosion protection

9.1 Cathodic protection

Studies [96] have shown that cathodic protection by imposed potential remains effective even in the presence of bacteria, provided that regular monitoring is carried out to check the correct potential value of the surface to be protected. However, the presence of biofilm, algae or shellfish reduces the effectiveness of galvanic anodes. For this reason, anodes used in port areas need to be cleaned more frequently, as pollution levels are higher there than in open sea areas.

As a precautionary measure, to avoid the risk of steel embrittlement in the presence of hydrogen...