Painting Ships Rev -4

Introduction
The war at sea against corrosion is a constant battle the ocean is the most testing of all proving grounds. The sea relentlessly exposes
weaknesses in structures and protective systems with uncompromising power, seeking constantly to turn steel into rust. Ships rust. The steel rusts
before ships are built, during construction and throughout their service lives. At the present time a liquid applied coating system combined with
proper design and cathodic protection is our most important ammunition in this war.

When steel plate arrives at the new building yard it is cleaned and painted with a pre-construction primer. During construction it is cleaned again
and painted with longer-term coatings. Once placed into service it is continually cleaned and painted by an army of crewmembers and drydocking
workers, all striving to win the war against corrosion, and preserving the ship as a productive and safe asset for many years.

With 10s of thousands of working vessels at sea and each and every one of them unique in some way a single chapter in a single book cannot
cover every aspect of painting ships. This chapter will endeavor to cover common problems encountered and the typical painting systems in use
and will also direct the reader to other sources that may be more specific to a particular need. One of the best resources for painting knowledge
available to a ship owner is the technical department of a reliable coating manufacture that specializes in Marine Coatings. However no owner
should rely solely on one source of knowledge, he needs to have an understanding of the forces at work against him and the solutions available.
Corrosion science, surface preparation, coating application and inspection are covered in other chapters of this manual and in other books
available from SSPC, NACE and many other sources including the Internet. The reader is urged to access all available material before making
decisions that may affect the life and safety of the crew, the worlds environment, his multi-million dollar vessels and the millions of dollars of
cargo they carry. Corrosion of ships can and has caused catastrophic failure with loss of life, significant financial loss and serious environmental
damage. All of which can be prevented with knowledge, proper planning and follow thru with that planning.
Problems encountered
Ships are sometimes referred to as cities at sea, and this they are. From huge aircraft carriers and very large crude carriers to the barges that
supply them and the tugs that push them out to sea. Ships are floating factories subjected to immersion in water and the most severe weather the
earth has to offer. In addition they are subjected to bending stress, abrasion from cargo and passage through the water, chemical attack, dissimilar
metal corrosion, radical temperature changes, extreme UV attack, biological organisms and just about any other type of corrosion that Mother
Nature so efficiently provides.

In addition to the most extreme of problems, ships have the most difficult situations available when it comes to coating and coating maintenance.
Coatings applied during new construction are frequently damaged during construction and the repair, if any is a last minute thought. Tanks and
hulls may be perfectly painted and inspected and then someone has to weld something to the other side of the plate the correct repair will take
too long. Ships frequently take months or even years to build, new technology; new owners or a new purpose demand changes during
construction and just as frequently the coating specification does not change to match the new needs and requirements. A hopper barge designed
to carry coal may be used to haul fertilizer. A cruise ship making regular runs in warm water may shift to an artic route. It may rain for the last 5
days of a ships 3-4 year cyclic drydocking; the plan was to paint the hull then. To meet competitive demands ships crews are smaller today then
ever before. Fewer people mean fewer resources available for ship preservation by painting. That small spot of rust can become a fractured plate
before it is fixed.

Ocean going ships are International travelers and must comply with regulations worldwide. Also the coatings they use and the manufactures
technical assistance must be available where ever they are needed. It is not unusual for a vessel to be built in Norway, make port calls in the US,
Germany and China and be drydocked for the first time in Korea. The same paint must be available in all locations. The local applicators in each
location must be familiar with the specified products.

Naval vessels have unique opportunities for coatings. While an ocean going vessel stays at dockside for a very short period of time a Naval ship
may spend its life setting still. And then when they do steam they may do so at twice the speed of a standard cargo vessel. These facts impact
greatly on the need for antifouling coatings, normally designed for ships that move at a constant speed most of the time. If the reader is involved
with the construction or maintenance of US Navy Ships he or she should acquire a copy of Naval Ships Technical Manual Chapter 631
Preservation of Ships at Sea Volumes I, II and III. Chapter 631 provides instructions, requirements, and information for the prevention of
corrosion and deterioration of ships, boats, and small craft in the naval service by means of surface preparation, painting and application of other
preventive measures. It should be noted that the US navy does a great deal of testing of commercial coatings and has in many cases selected to
use those commercially available products instead of mil-spec formula products. This is especially true in critical areas such as tanks, flight
decks and underwater hulls. NAVSEA Standard Item 009-32 (current edition) contains a chart showing locations on the vessel and the approved
coating system for them. It can be downloaded from the Internet at www.supship.navy.mil/ssrac4/standard.htm.
Solutions
All of this means that ship painting must be well thought out and all the problems that can happen must be thought of and planned for in advance.
New construction coating systems should be selected with the longest possible life as the top priority. The coating systems must be repairable,
rapidly and without special equipment that may not be available when needed. Never wait till the last minute to paint; Mother Nature is not a
controllable factor in most cases. Proper records of what was applied, not necessarily the same as what was specified need to be kept so that
maintenance and repairs can be made intelligently. Inspection is of paramount importance in ship painting and training of the people responsible
for maintenance is a must. Newly applied coating systems should be inspected in the first 6 months to one year to find and correct any failures
caused by improper surface preparation and/or application. Depending on the coating system, structure and environment as shown in ISO
[i]
9223,
further inspection and evaluation could be every 3
rd
year in a medium corrosivity area described as category C3 or every 2
nd
year in a high
corrosivity area described as category C4. The reader is referred to chapter 6.4 of The Inspection of Coatings and Linings by SSPC
[ii]
for
inspection procedures particular to ship painting.

There is no such thing as one paint or coating system that will do everything or is correct for every situation. The closest thing to the fabled
magic paint is todays surface tolerant epoxy mastic. Used extensively in land based industrial maintenance painting for many years and in the
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marine market for the past 10 to 20 years or so. This type of product gives a great deal of flexibility to the ship painter and extended service to the
owner. Although not as simple as a single package alkyd its excellent performance and tolerance of less then perfect surface preparation out ways
the higher cost as well as the extra knowledge and work involved. Other epoxy technology that is gaining a foot in the marine market is the use of
solvent free penetrating sealers for maintenance painting and edge retentive materials for tank linings. Because of environmental concerns ships
owners have to stop the use of organotin based antifouling products. New materials using proprietary biocides are offered by many of the major
marine coating suppliers. New high performance acrylic coatings and blends of epoxy and acrylic resins have also seen a recent surge in use in
both the industrial and marine markets. VOC emission regulations as well as health and safety issues in many countries have forced coating
manufactures to modify existing materials and develop new versions of older products. The reality is that many of the high performance coatings
available for use on todays ships have been developed in the 1990s and could be considered new.
New Construction Painting
Painting impacts every part of ship construction and frequently starts with a shop primer. This shop or pre-construction primer
may be described as a quick drying material applied as a thin film to a metal surface after cleaning to give protection in the period
before and during fabrication. In ship construction the large volume of plate steel (over 8 million square feet in some vessels)
requires an economical and good method of cleaning. This is done in an automatic shop where the plates are passed through a
centrifugal blasting unit and then automatically sprayed to a uniform film thickness. The systems used range from alkyds to zincs
and include water borne epoxies and iron oxide PVB materials. The typical dry film thickness is to 1 mil (20 to 25 microns). The type of
product as well as the thickness that it is applied at effects the eventual fabrication of the steel. Cutting speed, weldability, weld contamination
and fumes are all factors that must be considered when selecting the product. Due to the very large volume of this one product being used in a
shipyard plant solvent emission guidelines and regulations must also be considered.
Maintenance Painting
Maintenance painting of ships can be broken down into two main subjects. Painting while underway and painting at drydocking.
Painting while underway
If it dont move, paint it this statement is as true today as it was many years ago. Painting onboard ships while underway is a fact of life and an
unending process. The time for planning shipboard maintenance painting is during the new construction phase. Every vessel should have on
board a manual showing the recommended maintenance painting system with product data sheets, material safety data sheets and a coating
schedule that shows every area that might need to be maintained. This document should show the surface preparation necessary for various
conditions and it should contain detailed instructions on how to mix and apply the necessary coatings. Pictures of each step should be included as
the crewmembers may not be able to read the language the manual is written in. Environmental conditions for coating application should be
outlined and the crewmembers have to be made aware of curing times as well as application temperature limitations and necessary surface
preparation. If you have taken over a vessel and were not given the maintenance manual you will have to construct one based on tests of the
existing paint and your preferred coating manufacturers recommendations.

In addition to the instructions you must supply the crew with the necessary equipment to perform their job. This means having a paint locker with
the necessary paints in the correct colors and thinners. A large sign on the paint locker door graphically showing the products that have to be
mixed (part A + part B) and showing the correct thinners will help stop curing problems. You must also have the necessary mixing equipment
onboard; power mixers are required if using any two-component paint. Brushing and rolling of two component paints is generally not
recommended for large areas, however it is done frequently. It should be noted that the appearance of a brushed or rolled surface would not look
like the original spray applied surface. Also the film thickness of high build epoxy coatings cannot be achieved with one brush or roller coat as it
can with a spray coat.

It is possible to have a ride on crew from a coating contractor to travel with the vessel and perform a larger job then what the crew would
normally undertake. This can work out very well for many vessels that have a passage where a part of the vessel that needs painting will not be in
use. It is also common to have a contractor supply several additional people to ride along and perform painting that todays smaller crews do not
have time to do.
Drydocking
This is the time when major repairs are done. Underwater hulls can be inspected and repair work can be done. Interior areas that require
sandblasting can be completed in the yard without causing the problems that occur when the crew is onboard. Tanks can have holes cut in them
for access and the problem of low exterior wall temperature is drastically reduced when the ship is high and dry.

Planning and preparation is key to a successful drydocking. The cost of having a ship out of service added to the daily cost of the drydock is very
high. All materials and equipment to perform the job should be onsite prior to the vessel arrival. Material for each planed activity as well as
additional material for unplanned painting should be available. Most marine coating manufacturers will supply sufficient material for the job
and will take back all unused material at the end of the job. The owners port engineer along with the coating suppliers technical service
representative will watch over the paint and he should only pay for what was applied to his vessel.

Detailed records of what happens each day must be kept. I refer you again to chapter 6.4 of The Inspection of Coatings and Linings by SSPC
for inspection procedures particular to ship painting. This is extremely important, as claims due to underwater coating failure can be very costly.
Knowing what happened, how and when will resolve many issues and will make the next drydocking easier.
Painting Systems
Tank Painting
Tank painting is perhaps the most difficult coating job onboard ship. It is normally a shipyard job and requires special
equipment for abrasive blasting and dehumidification. The design of the internals of the tank is directly related to the ability
of the coating system to protect the steel. Sharp corners, rough welds, back-to-back angles and inaccessible areas are paint
failures that will just take a little time to show up. Edges of steel should be rounded over, weld splatter removed and welds
ground smooth and with no undercutting.

Tank lining coatings require a set feature of environmental conditions, air and steel temperature; airflow and humidity level all must be within the
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required range. Multiple coats and stripe coats are highly recommended in tanks, single coat materials will almost always leave pinholes and
holidays. The one exception to this rule is the use of high build urethanes. The time interval between coats is generally limited to both a
minimum and maximum and is cortically important for intercoat adhesion. Inspection of each step of the way is one of the most important
conditions of any tank-lining job. While water blasting is acceptable in many areas of ship painting, tanks should be dry abrasive blasted. Even
with the best design and construction techniques close spaces are virtually impossible to avoid and can only be cleaned with the ricochet action of
dry abrasive blasting. Also removal of the water and the added humidity can cause problems. The degree of cleanliness of the blast and the
profile required should be based on the coating to be used and agreed to by the paint supplier, owner and applicator.

For more about ship tank lining see references 1 and 3.
Liquid Cargo Tank Coating
Tank coating of product and chemical carriers has two main objectives. First it must protect the steel from corrosion by the cargo. It is important
that the surface preparation, application, selection of coating materials and the control of the work can provide satisfactory, long lasting protection
of the steel in the cargo tanks. Second it must protect the cargo from contamination. It is of paramount importance to have a coating that is inert
towards the cargo to avoid contamination of the cargo. As a consequence of coating breakdown by the cargo, claims on both cargo and coating
will certainly lead to dramatic economic consequences. Without satisfactory coatings the vessel may easily become useless for its purpose and no
longer able to serve its intention of earning money.

Epoxies, epoxy phenolic blends, urethanes and inorganic zincs are typically used in cargo tanks, however this is one of those cases that the ship
owner and the coating manufacture must work closely together. The United States Navy has started using solvent free edge retentive epoxy
coatings in an attempt to combat the problem of thin areas on edges.

Factors that influence the coating selection will be:
l The types of cargo that will be carried
l The type of cleaning between cargos
l The temperature of the cargo at loading
l The storage temperature
l The length of time the cargo will be stored

Freshwater Tanks
Nasty tasting water is not something a person wants to be stuck with for months on end. A scotch and water on a cruise ship that tastes like zylene
will not bring cruisers back for a second trip. Potable water tank linings must protect the steel, not impart a taste to the water and must meet
regulations in certain countries. In the United States linings for potable water tanks must comply with ANSI/NSF standard 61. Full curing of
these products with ample ventilation helps avoid imparting taste to the water. While a variety of coatings have been used in the past including
coal tar and cement the current choice is typically a two or three coat epoxy system tested to meet the above standard.

Ballast Tanks
The marine industry is showing increasing concern following major damage to vessels and the disappearance of several ships with loss of life. As
vessels built in the early 1970s show vulnerability to cracks and fractures, ballast tanks have come under scrutiny. It is in these areas that
corrosion can quickly result in the rapid deterioration of steel and can lead to structural failures. Ballast tanks are frequently used as an example of
most severe corrosion service. Sometimes dry, sometime full and sometimes only partially fill of warm salt water, agitated and mixed well with
oxygen they form the almost perfect corrosion cell.

Discussions on the need for improved safety at sea and better protection of the environment have led to IMO
[iii]
regulations that address the
treatment of water ballast tanks. The SOLAS Regulation II-1/4-1 requires corrosion prevention systems to be fitted in all oil tanker and bulk
carrier seawater ballast tanks. Extracts for the Guidelines for the selection, application and maintenance of corrosion prevention systems of
dedicated seawater ballast tanks state that:
- The owner should select and maintain a system to ensure an adequate level of corrosion prevention of the seawater ballast tanks.
- Coatings manufacturers should give evidence of the quality of the product and its ability to satisfy the owners requirements.
- The shipyard and/or its sub-contractors should provide clear evidence of their experience in coating application. The coating standard,
job specification, inspection, maintenance and repair criteria should be agreed by the shipyard and/or its subcontractors, owner and
manufacturer, in consultation with the administration or an organization recognized by the administration, before the ships
construction.
New Construction Ballast Tanks
The newbuilding stage offers the ideal opportunity to invest in long-term protection of ballast tanks and avoid the high cost of eventual remedial
work caused by poor preparation and ineffective coating protection. As a general rule it will cost a minimum of ten times as much to repair ballast
tanks to the original standard, as it would cost to apply a solid newbuilding system.

In coating ballast tanks color is a consideration, due to the typical very close areas involved it is necessary to use light colors for easier application
and improved conditions for inspection. Also stripe coatings are always necessary. They should be applied to difficult areas such as edges,
welding seams, holes etc. A stripe coat should be applied prior to the first full coat as well as between the first and second coat.

*Assumes brush applied stripe coat on areas difficult to achieve required DFT.

Solvent free, edge retentive epoxies applied in a two or three coat system, with stripe coats are being used by some vessel owners including the US
Coating type No. of coats* DFT mils/microns Lifetime (years)
Coal tar epoxy 1 8/200
53
Epoxy Mastic 2 12/300
103
Epoxy Mastic 3 16/400
153
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Navy. Solvent free, high build, instant set urethanes are also being used by some ship owners. It should be noted that there are other soft single
package coatings on the market however these products seemed to have lost favor over the past few years and are not normally recommended if
long term corrosion protection is necessary. They are fine for a temporary fix and sometimes are used in dry voids.

Another ballast tank lining system, a single coat of inorganic zinc with back up anodes has proven to work extremely well in certain cases. It is an
especially useful system in a double bottom vessel that handles heated cargo. Do not use a topcoat and do not double coat the zinc; one 3-mil coat
applied in a single application is the recommendation.

Cathodic protection can be successfully used in ballast tanks and is recommended to extend the live of the tanks and coating system. Cathodic
protection will only work when the anodes are submerged so this is not normally used as a standalone protection system. The design of a cathodic
system in a ballast tank will be based on several things:

l General arrangement, midship and longitudinal sections plan and capacity plan.
l Tank type: Ballast only, cargo-ballast or segregated ballast tanks in tankers.
l Wetted surface including supports, pipes, ladders etc.
l Current density (should be evaluated by a corrosion engineer/CP designer.)
l Expected lifetime of anodes in years.
l Condition of the tank coating and degree of deterioration
l Ballast period percentage of total time in service and average ballast time in days.
Maintenance of Ballast Tanks
The maintenance of a ballast tank can take several forms, depending on the tanks previous history, its current condition and the vessels operating
situation. On a vessel that had a coating system applied during new construction the tanks should be inspected at the end of the first year and then
every 2
nd
year. The repairs should follow the recommendations of the manufacture of the existing coating system.


On tanks that were not coating during construction or where the system has been allowed to fail completely you will be faced with a very difficult
and costly surface preparation task. Heavy scale, deep pits, salt contamination, difficult accessibility, poor lighting, damp conditions, temperature
extremes and sweating are just the top of the list in the difficulty column. If you are faced with a tank that has been in service, and has failed, be
prepared to power wash, hand clean, power wash again, abrasive blast and possible power wash again to remove the scale and salt. Another
option is to use electrolytic descaling with magnesium strips to clean badly scaled tanks. This only works when at least 70% of the paint has
failed. Electrolytic descaling only removes rust, not paint. It also requires the tanks to be full of seawater (not brackish) for 8 to 14 days. This
causes an electrolytic reaction to take place, which causes a breakdown of the oxide (i.e. the scale and rust). During this process a soft calcareous
layer forms on the surface of the steel. This forces the rust to loosen and fall off the steel and drop to the bottom of the tank. The tank is then
emptied and washed with freshwater as soon as possible to remove the rust scale, salt and grayish jelly-like calcareous layers. This calcareous
layer is easy to remove when wet, but hard and difficult to remove when dry.

No matter what surface preparation system is employed salt contamination testing should be done and the tank rewashed until the level of salt is
acceptable to the manufacture of the coating to be applied. There are chemicals on the market that can help to lower the salt content to an
acceptable level. However make sure the manufacture of the lining system to be applied approves the use of any chemicals used during the
cleaning and decontamination process. Salt left on the surface will cause blistering and paint failure. Once clean the tank will then have to be
dried with dehumidifying equipment before the coating system is applied. A two or three coat epoxy mastic system as shown above under new
construction can then be applied.

Accommodations
Accommodations are where the people live, work, eat, sleep and play. In the olden days of sailing accommodations were about the last thought in
designing a vessel, how times have changed! Now we recognize that employees have rights and one of those rights is to have a livable healthy
working space. The coating systems for accommodations should be bright, cleanable and in most cases must have a low flame spread.
New Construction, Accommodations
Since these spaces are enclosed the system should be designed with potential application problems of the maintenance coating in mind. Products
with low flash points and/or high levels of solvents should be avoided. Water based materials can be used but require a high level of fresh air
being blown into and removed from the painted area so that the water will evaporate from the film in a timely manner. While the use of
zinc/epoxy/polyurethane may be thought to be the best system it is not really the most cost effective nor is it the easiest to repair or recoat.
Typically an alkyd or acrylic system will give the necessary protection in these areas and is easy to clean and repair and a new coat can be applied
to change color or freshen the appearance. Keep in mind that you cannot apply an alkyd coating over an inorganic zinc preconstruction or
standard primer. To do so will cause sponification and failure of the alkyd. Another excellent choice is to use an epoxy system, typically one of
the surface tolerant types, two 4 to 6 mil coats with the final one being the color coat. This system should be used for decks and other areas that
may be exposed to frequent wetting from splash or spillage.

Suggested systems for newbuilding in interior accommodation areas
No. of
coats
Product Generic
Type
Approximate DFT
(See specific product)
Comments
2
1
1
Alkyd Primer
Alkyd Undercoat
Alkyd Topcoat
2 mils (50 m)/coat
2 mils (50 m)
2 mils (50 m)
Typical, well proven
system. Easy to apply
and economical
1
1
1
Acrylic Primer
Acrylic Primer
Acrylic Topcoat
2 3 mils (50 75 m)
2 3 mils (50 75 m)
2 3 mils (50 75 m)
Easier to clean then the
alkyd. Higher cost.
Better color stability.
1 Epoxy Mastic
6 8 mils (150 200 m)
May be top coated with
an acrylic for easier
cleaning.
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Maintenance, Accommodations
The maintenance should be based on the new construction system and should follow the instructions of the coating manufacture that supplied it. If
you dont know what you have then you must do a little testing. First do a solvent wipe, take a fairly strong solvent epoxy thinner works very
well place it on a white rag and wipe the surface with a medium pressure 20 to 30 times. Look at the surface of the rag, if you took paint off
then you probably have a single package material such as an alkyd or a chlorinated product. If this is the case you should use a single package
material over it. If no paint comes off on the rag then your have a solvent resistant surface and you will need to sand it to form a suitable surface
for the next coat to adhere to. If it is glossy you will also need to lightly sand it to remove the gloss and roughen the surface. If you have some
rust showing then that needs to be removed with a needle gun or sand paper. Do not use a power wire brush, it will remove the rust but it shines
the surface and the next coat will not adhere very well at all. Loose paint can be removed with a scrapper. Damaged areas should have the
coating system tapered back from bare steel to the finish coat with at least an inch or two of each coat exposed. To keep the new coating from
curling up at the edges of the interface you can use a 100% solids epoxy penetrating sealer. These products are designed to go over just about any
existing coating and have very low stress during curing so they do not pull up those edges as other coatings do.


Engine & Machinery Spaces
Think white, the brighter the better. Most marine coatings manufactures have engine room white or something similar as a standard color
choice. This is to give the ships engineers a high level of reflected light. Keeping them clean is also required so a coating that is resistant to
lubricants, fuels and cleaning solvents is necessary. Dropped tools as well as rolling drums and moving equipment can damage the surface. High
temperatures can yellow the paint and will shorten the expected life of many products. Each of these has to be addressed and this will require
several different coating systems in the engine room.

The bulkheads and overhead spaces should be coated with a two or three coat epoxy system. If the epoxy you select is not a high gloss you may
want to add a coat of alkyd or acrylic as a third coat. If initial economy is a high factor in the coating selection equation a three or four coat alkyd
system is an option, but expect more maintenance and physical damage to the coating. The deck areas will be a three-coat epoxy and should have
non-skid additive broadcast between the second and third coats. You may want to consider the use of a glass fiber reinforced epoxy coating for
the deck if you expect a high level of physical abuse to occur. High temperature equipment and piping require coatings that match the highest
temperature the item will reach. You will need to inform the coating manufacture of the normal temperature, the peak temperature and the
frequency of the temperature changes. Keep in mind that most standard epoxies are not recommended on surfaces that exceed about 200F on a
regular basis. Insulated carbon steel piping should be coated, the system will depend on the temperature and to some degree the frequency of cool
down. There are numerous papers written on this subject and the reader is directed to:


Dry Void/Cofferdams Spaces
There are three things to keep in mind when designing and building a vessel that will have a dry void:

1. Dry voids are not dry
2. Steel corrodes in dry voids
3. Mil scale will not protect the steel

When the carbon steel for your vessel was manufactured several layers of ferric oxide were formed on the surface. These layers are referred to as
mil scale and they do temporarily protect the steel from corrosion. However mil scale is very brittle and will crack during the cooling process, by
any flexing during handling and by thermal expansion and contraction. The small cracks in the scale allow moisture to penetrate to the steel and
you have one of the worst forms of corrosion possible on a vessel pitting! The reason for the pitting is that the break in the scale surface
1
1
Epoxy Mastic
Epoxy Mastic
6 8 mils (150 200 m)
6 8 mils (150 200 m)
Use in areas below
gratings or that may be
frequently wetted or
immersed.
Suggested systems for newbuilding in engine rooms
No. of
coats
Product Generic
Type
Approximate DFT
(See specific product)
Comments
Decks
3 Epoxy or Epoxy
Mastic
6 8 mils (150 200 m)
per coat
Add non-skid to 2
nd
coat
in traffic areas.
Bulkheads and Overheads
2 or 3 Epoxy or Epoxy
Mastic
6 8 mils (150 200 m)
per coat
Add an optional 3
rd
coat
of high gloss alkyd or
acrylic if necessary
2
1
1
Alkyd Primer
Alkyd Undercoat
Alkyd Topcoat
2 mils (50 m)/coat
2 mils (50 m)
2 mils (50 m)
Typical, well proven
system. Easy to apply
and economical
High Temperature



Insulated Carbon Steel Pipe



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becomes the anode; the remainder of the mill scale, which is many times larger then the break becomes an immense cathode. This small anode,
large cathode situation causes accelerated corrosion of the anode and a pit in the steel starts to form. All it takes is the small amount of moisture
that exists in the air trapped in the void during manufacturing. The effects of mil scale in a marine atmosphere are well documented an excellent
reference is Charles Mungers Corrosion Prevention by Protective Coatings.

Unless you are building a vessel with a very short expected life span it is false economy to not blast and paint dry voids. In a recent drydocking of
a 5-year-old dry cargo ocean barge the steel repairs and painting to the dry double bottom cost over $700,000 US. Several bottom plates were
so badly pitted they had to be replaced. The owner had saved approximately $300,000 US by not blasting and painting the voids during new
construction.

If you make the decision not to blast I recommend that you at least apply a long oil type of coating to give some protection and extend the life of
your vessel. This type of material, generally a soft oily or waxy product is temporary but may be all you need in the void of a platform type barge
or other small working vessel. Otherwise you should remove the mil scale by abrasive blasting and apply two coats of epoxy if you expect the
surface to get wet or three to four coats of a good quality alkyd if you expect it to be dry.
Superstructures
The superstructure, along with the boottopping is the first thing someone sees on your ship and it can give a good, or bad first impression. So not
only do you have to protect it, you have to make it look good! In todays new construction you will find many owners using a
zinc/epoxy/polyurethane system for the superstructure. However as stated previously this is not the easiest system for shipboard crews to repair.
Experience has shown that single package systems such as acrylics and alkyds used as the finish coat give good economical protection. The US
Navy is currently using silicone alkyds and has several special blends that both help reduce the solar absorption and the appearance of rust bleed.
Weatherdecks

Topsides

Boottopping

Underwater Hull
The coating system on the underwater hull of a steel vessel has to do two things, reduce the corrosion rate of the steel and keep the hull smooth.
On non-metallic vessels it may only be required to keep the hull smooth. The coatings main part in keeping the hull smooth means stopping the
attachment (fouling) of some 4,500 to 5,000 species of plant and animal life that live in the worlds oceans.

Roughness comes in two forms, temporary and permanent. Permanent roughness includes welding seams, valve openings and bulging plates.
These irregularities are part of the design of the vessel and generally are not changed once built. Temporary roughness, which can be corrected,
results from corrosion, flaking of old paint, the porosity of spent conventional and long life antifoulings, bad workmanship in paint application,
external hull mounted cathodic protection systems, mechanical damage incurred during service and, of course, fouling. Compared to a smooth
hull, a rough hull will increase friction, slow the vessel down or require additional fuel consumption to maintain speed. Control of roughness
therefore has a major influence on operation costs.
Purpose of antifoulings
l To prevent or reduce growth
l To provide better fuel economy over the sailing period
l To avoid growth penetration through the coatings and thus extend corrosion protection

A 10% increase in fuel costs is the sort of penalty to be paid by a ship owner if fouling occurs. There are 80,000+ sea-going vessels representing
460 million gross tons in operation in the world today. Assuming an average size of 6,000 gross tons, each equipped with a 5,000 hp engine, fuel
consumption would be 15 tons per day per ship, or for the 80,000 ships it would be 1,200,000 tons per day. If the ships operate 250 days a year
then the total consumption of fuel would be 300 million tons. Since most of these ships drydock at 2.5-year interval the total fuel consumption for
this period would be 750 million tons. The proper use of hull coating systems can save 5% to 10% of fuel costs - $3,750,000,000 (5% savings at
year 2000 prices) and 37,500,000 tons of heavy fuel exhausts discharged through the smokestack into the environment.
Composition of antifoulings
In their simplest form antifoulings comprise a binder, pigments and solvent. The binder type determines the nature of the antifouling. Pigments
include the antifouling agents or biocide and various fillers. The solvents provide a workable body and application characteristics.

The biocide is a chemical substance which is released at very low rates and which kills or inhibits growth. One of the most common antifouling
biocides, still used today, is cuprous oxide. Organotin compounds started to be used in the 1960s and became the predominant biocide in the late
1970s. Due to environmental concerns the use of organotin has been restricted in several countries and based on a recent international agreement
will be phased out world wide by 2008. The coating industry is working to replace this product and has several new materials that are claimed to
provide equal service. See the section on aluminumvessels in this chapter for more about the special limitations of antifouling on them.

Types of antifoulings
There are four choices of antifoulings, conventional, longlife, selfpolishing and fouling release.

Conventional antifoulings also known as soluble matrix or ablative paints, have a natural product rosin as a binder. This rosin slowly
dissolves in seawater. When the coating is immersed in seawater the biocide leaches out of the paint. This release rate however, soon falls to a
level below which the fouling can be controlled. Effective life is generally short, approximately 12 months.

Longlife antifoulings referred to as insoluble matrix paints do not dissolve in seawater. Instead the biocide leeches out of the film leaving a
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porous skeleton on the surface. As the porous layer increases, the rate of biocide release reduces. Eventually no more biocides can be released
and antifouling performance drops dramatically. Effective life is up to 24 months and a relatively porous layer remains on the surface and must be
dealt with prior to recoating.

Selfpolishing antifoulings can be broken down into two classes: containing tributyltin (TBT) and tin free. Both work a little differently and the
industry is still working on the tin free so expect more changes in the future. Because TBT will be banned from use in the very near future we will
not discuss it in depth in this paper. Just remember that tin-free selfpolishing products on the market at this writing do not work under the same
principle as those that contained TBT. TBT was not just the biocide; it was a part of the binder as well. Manufacturers are now using various
blends of water-soluble and water sensitive binders along with newer forms of biocides. In essence early ablative or physically deteriorating
paints (shown above as conventional) have been refined. The polishing effect is similar to those containing TBT but not identical in performance.
Manufacturers are claiming up to 4 years life with the tin free selfpolishing materials. However this may change with newer technology as many
companies are spending a great deal of their research budgets looking for a better antifouling.

Fouling release products are relatively new and are a product of research done to replace tributyltin materials. They work on the simple principle
of supplying a smooth non-stick surface thereby stopping the adherence of fouling. Two negatives must be considered regarding these products,
they are typically easy to damage and difficult to repair; at this writing their impact on the market is minimal.
Key factors in choosing a underwater hull coating system

The selection of the hull coating system should be made after consulting with a well-known and experienced manufacturer of them. The
underwater hull system is comprised of both the anticorrosive coats and the antifouling coats. The entire system should be from the same supplier
and the specification for the number, type and DFT of each coat should be followed exactly. Full time inspection by someone from the coatings
suppliers technical service department is necessary. Some of the things you will need to make known to the coating supplier are:

l What will be the speed of the vessel?
l Where will the vessel be trading?
l What will the drydocking interval be?
l What will the sailing duration be per year?
l Where will the vessel drydock?
l What are the economic risk factors?

Speed
High, low or slow? The typical speed of the vessel will determine whether or not a self-polishing AF can be used and if so what type and how
thick. Slower moving vessels may not be able to benefit from a self-polishing antifouling.

Where
The trading area is very important different types of fouling occur in different parts of the world. A ship moving from warm to cold water on a
regular basis will require a different antifouling then one staying in mostly warm water.

Dry Docking interval
Smaller working vessels such as tugboats may have to be dry-docked every year for some sort of repair. This allows time for inspection and repair
of a coating system on a frequent basis. Less expensive, shorter life antifouling are typically used in these cases. The US Navy has recently
announced that they are looking for a 10-year plus drydocking cycle; this will require an antifouling that will give service for 10 years. At the
present time five years is about the maximum drydocking interval that most antifouling manufacturers currently suggest under typical conditions,
with their best product.

Days at sea
A ship that sits still a lot will require more frequent dry-dockings and a different type of antifouling then one that is underway for most of its life.
Self-polishing products work to their best advantage when the water flowing over the hull removes layer after layer of the coating, continually
exposing a fresh layer of antifouling.

Location of Dry Dock
Climatic and environmental factors are particularly important. Make sure the dry dock you choose can apply the antifouling coating you require.
Maintenance of the hull
The use of antifoulings provides some unique maintenance problems. In a perfect world you would just be able to clean and apply another coat,
however this is not a perfect world. Some antifoulings lose the biocide but leave the skeleton of the binder; most antifouling materials are single
package products that are not the best under coating for the required anticorrosive. So this leaves us with the problem of how to repair areas that
may be damaged to the substrate and how to apply another coat of antifouling without removing the existing coating. Sandwich coatings, layers of
anticorrosive and antifouling over and over are to be avoided if possible. For a small vessel it is generally recommended to remove all the left
over antifouling prior to repairing the anticorrosive and reapply the antifouling. For a larger vessel with usable antifouling left on the majority of
the hull the damages should be spot repaired and enough antifouling applied on the surface to build the total film thickness back to the originally
specified DFT.

This repair must be done carefully so that the sandwiched coatings do not grow to the point where cracking, alligatoring and eventual flaking of
the antifouling occur. This requires a careful inspection of the vessel after water cleaning in the drydock. Only large rough areas should be blast
cleaned, smaller areas should be mechanical cleaned to avoid damaging more then you need. The anticorrosive coating should be applied as
specified only to the bare steel with as little overlap as is possible. Each touch up coat should overlap slightly more until the specified DFT is
achieved.

One important step to take when performing maintenance on a ships hull, no matter the size of the vessel, clean with fresh water BEFORE you do
any other mechanical or abrasive blast cleaning. This is true no matter what type of water the vessel is in but is most important when it has seen
service in salt water. If you blast before you clean you will drive salt and other contaminants into the surface. If salt is present between the
substrate and the paint film you will have blisters with pits formed underneath them.
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Aluminum Vessels
Aluminum vessels are coated for two reasons: to provide a color coat and to protect against fouling.
GRP Vessels

References
1. Surface Preparation and Painting of Tanks and Closed Areas, SSPC 00-09
2. B. R. Appleman and J.L. Heisel, Improving the Quality of Preservation Work on U.S. Navy Ships, Technology, JPCL, August 2001
3. E. D. Thomas, The U.S. Navys Advances in Coating of Ship Tanks, Technology, JPCL, February 2001
4. L. Smith, What You Should Know About Applying Water-Borne Coatings, Applicator Training Bulletin, SSPC 92-03
5. K. Kelleher and D. Meyer, What You Should Know About Two-Pack Epoxies and Polyurethanes, Applicator Training Bulletin, SSPC 92-
03
6. General Dynamics (Electric Boat), Guidance Manual for the Application of High-Solids Coatings, MARITECH/ASE Project 3-98-3 for
NSRP Technical Panel SP-3, Surface Preparation and Coatings, December 2000.
7. M. Candries, D. Anderson, and M. Atlar, Foul Release Systems and Dray, JPCL, April 2001



[i]
International Standards Organization

[ii]
Society of Protective Coatings

[iii]
International Maritime Organization

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