A marine coating is an answer to the corrosion equipment and assets experience in the presence of fresh, salt, or brackish water. Moisture, oxygen, and minerals such as salt slowly deteriorate surfaces over time via electrochemical corrosion. The marine protective coatings are a barrier between the water and substrate to protect it from damage. Usually, they are applied to ships, vessels, tankers, and other water vehicles, but they are also applied to propellers, buoys, and structures on offshore oil rigs.
Marine Coating Properties
There are different types of marine coatings. Belzona’s are engineered for metal substrates immersed in water. The high-performance coatings are chemical-resistant, waterproof, and antifouling, which slows down corrosion and deterioration from minerals such as salts, other chemicals, and organic material found in water. Additionally, the areas where these coatings are applied are sometimes in harsh and hard-to-reach environments, making equipment maintenance troublesome. Therefore, it is important to consider the rate marine coatings are applied and cured to make coating applications and equipment maintenance more effective.
Belzona engineers developed solutions that quickly cure either in low or high temperatures in or above water. The application itself is easy—no welding or hot tools are needed. Mix the two components and apply the paste-like material with the tools before it cures. The marine coating will cure into a protective barrier that will increase the service life of the equipment and protect the substrate from corrosion, pitting, and cavitation.
Coating In Action
For example, the hull of a Refinery’s tugboat was experiencing extreme corrosion. The previous hull coating was 80% disbonded after 24 months. The hull plates were so badly corroded and pitted that abrasive blasting blew through in some spots. The Refinery used a single-component airless spray to apply the corrosion-resistant coating, Belzona 5811 (Immersion Grade) to coat the hull of the tugboat.
Hull plates coated with Belzona 5811
The unchanged hull of the tug boat after 7 years in service
The application was incredibly successful. The Belzona application saved the Refinery $168,000 and the industrial coating provided more longevity than the conventional solvent coating. A four-year inspection found most of the original coating in perfect condition, still glossy and tightly adherent. A seven-year inspection found the coating unchanged from the previous inspection, with the coat still present at full thickness. Finally, a nine-year inspection found the application perfect and operating.
Source: belzona.com