Offshore staff
ANTWERP, Belgium – Subsea Industries has applied its Ecolock protective coating to the hull of a 26,320-cu m (929,482-cu ft) floating storage and regasification (FSRU) vessel at the Wison Offshore & Marine shipyard in Nantong, China.
This is the second application of the hard coating technology on a Wison floating vessel hull, following the 2013 Ecospeed application to the 16,100-cu m (568,566-cu ft)Caribbean FLNGunit.
Experience gained from the first application resulted in the hard coating being applied quicker.
As with the first project, the FSRU was built in blocks which were coated prior to assembly. Weld seams and inaccessible areas were coated after the unit was assembled.
Manuel Hof, Subsea Industries’ production executive, said: “The yard was able to apply two coats in a single day, which minimized the risks associated with multi-layer applications. It also saved the yard time and labor costs.”
Ecolock is single, homogenous protective covering for static steel structures said to provide a tough, durable coating that remains intact throughout the vessel’s life, without the need for drydocking, repair, or replacement.
“Combined with long-term protection, the coating can be cleaned underwater without any damage to the coating,” Hof said. “As long as it is correctly applied and maintained, Ecolock can be guaranteed for up to 20 years for this type of application.”
Some preparatory work is necessary prior to application, to ensure a structural profile of at least 75µm (SA2.5 or better). Ecolock is then applied without the need for a primer or other type of coating.
Typically, two 500µm coats are sufficient with a minimum curing time of three hours between each application.
The FSRU has since been floated out of the Wison shipyard for completion of the topsides installation and pre-commissioning.
10/10/2017
