Marine Link
Tuesday, April 16, 2024

Long Lay-up Periods have No Effect on Quality of Ecospeed Coating

Maritime Activity Reports, Inc.

March 30, 2011

As a consequence of the current economic climate, more and more ship owners are forced to lay one or more of their ships up for longer periods. This has, however, no adverse effect on an Ecospeed coating which can always be restored to its optimum condition, regardless of how much fouling has attached itself to the hull while the vessel has been laying idle.
 
Ecospeed is ideally suited for ships during lay-ups because of its impermeability. This gives the coating its excellent and durable anticorrosive properties and protects the underwater hull against damage caused by any type of marine fouling. Despite the aggressive nature of certain types of fouling, no rust or damage to the steel will be present on the underwater hull of the vessel after cleaning.
 
This is illustrated by a cruise ship that remained stationary in the Caribbean for seven months after it was coated with Ecospeed. After this period the coating’s qualities allowed a complete removal of all fouling from the underwater hull of the vessel during an underwater cleaning without causing any damage to the underlying paint layers.
 
The coating's properties totally prevent fouling penetration, making the cleaning process extremely easy. It can be performed underwater or with controlled high pressure tools in drydock and can be repeated whenever needed during the vessel’s lifespan without causing damage or deterioration in quality. The coating’s surface characteristics even significantly improve with each underwater hull cleaning. This unique quality gives ship owners the opportunity to have their ship operational again and its hull restored to its optimum condition whenever needed  without any additional financial setback.
 
Source: Subsea Industries