Extremely durable hull protection system

NEWSLETTER November 2004

Ecospeed Passes Longevity Test

E cospeed, the innovative new hull protection system that has been under development for the last 10 years has
now conclusively proven its value after 18 months in challenging service conditions on “Loodsboot 1”.

Unlike traditional coatings, the Ecospeed system survived a tough service period emerging as new. Amazingly, only a few
litres of the coating was required to touch up a few small areas of minor damage caused by severe mechanical impact.
 After 12 months in water with a conventional coating After 18 months in water with Ecospeed

As can be seen from the pictures on this page the coating stayed intact throughout the whole 18 month
period. Whilst a repaint for this vessel would have been very costly the only expense with Ecospeed was a
few litres of paint. As Ecospeed is expected to last more than 20 years, if not for the lifetime of the vessel,
the potential savings are phenomenal as initial costs are only slightly more than conventional systems.

12 months conventional coating 18 months Ecospeed

Anti-fouling properties Corrosion protection

Ecospeed is an extremely tough and
smooth coating – to the extent that even
the tenacious barnacle finds it impossible
to attach itself with any effectiveness to
an Ecospeed coating. Biofilm will fall
away from the hull as the vessel moves
through the water. If the vessel has
prolonged stays in port or at anchor,
marine fouling may occur. Ecospeed,
however, allows for regular hull
cleanings without damage to the coating.
Barnacles and other marine fouling
cannot penetrate Ecospeed enabling very
efficient hull cleaning work. Even after
severe fouling, the coating will still be as
new. Factoring hull cleaning into the
overall cost of running the ship still
represents a major saving and provides
for a far greater protection of the hull.
In addition to this, Ecospeed’s smooth
surface gives the hull properties that
reduce fuel consumption.
Glass is a natural barrier to water and has been used throughout
civilisation for this purpose. In glass flake lining technology, this
property has been developed and utilised by incorporating glass
particles into a matrix of tough carrier resins. These, when applied in
the form of a coating, cure to create tough, glass-like products which
form a powerful bond with a host of diverse substrates.
The Ecospeed system uses large glass platelets especially designed
to resist water ingress in the marine environment and is then
conditioned to provide an exceptionally smooth finish. Ecospeed will
resist the corrosive elements that would destroy virtually any other
protective material in a short period of time. It differs from conven-
tional paints in that it constructs a multilayered glass barrier that
remains stable for long periods of time in corrosive environments.
Ecospeed outperforms all other glass-reinforced coatings. A superior
type of glass platelet is used in its manufacture. Because of its
stability and strength, Ecospeed offers outstanding protection against
corrosion, abrasion and other physical damage in the underwater
environment. This has been conclusively proven, first in underwater
tests and now in the working environment.
The ‘before’ and ‘after’ images of how the vessel has been protected
after 18 months in the water are startling. After 12 months with a

2
Stern section showing pristine condition of underwater hull

soon be seriously corroded. Whereas with the Ecospeed coating, the

hull showed no damage after 18 months and only a few litres of
coating were required to refresh the vessel’s hull before it went back
in the water.

The anti-corrosion protection capabilities are now proven to be far

superior and much longer lasting than those of normal paints.

Anodes
It can also be seen that the Ecospeed protective coating provides such
a perfect corrosion barrier that there is virtually no loss of the
sacrificial anodes.

Sea chest coating retained

Condition of anodes after 18 months

traditional coating the paint was peeling of the ship’s hull when it
was drydocked, corrosion and scarring were clearly visible and it
was obvious that without a new coating the underwater area would

3
Propeller and rudder
protection against
cavitation erosion

Propeller coating

O ne of the specialized applications of Ecospeed is the coating

of propellers and rudders. Once coated, they benefit from
enhanced operating conditions.

Firstly, the smoothness of the coating allows the propeller to operate

at its maximum efficiency and endows the blades with self-cleaning
properties, thus reducing fuel consumption.

Secondly, cavitation erosion damage is virtually eliminated, again

saving expensive replacement and maintenance costs.

Thirdly, the blades are completely shielded from all corrosive

elements in their operational environment and are electrically inert.
Electrolysis therefore ceases to be a problem and de-alloying
processes cannot take place thus maintaining blade smoothness.

We have now also protected several rudders with the Ecospeed

system. These were done to test the effectiveness of the product in
extreme conditions of cavitation erosion. After a number of under-
water inspections of these “Ecospeed” rudders, no signs of cavitation,
corrosion or mechanical damage have been found.
Coated with Ecospeed proves efficient protection
'"Ecospeed" propellers and rudders have a greatly increased service
life.

Subsea Industries
Phone: 32 (0)3 213 5318 • Fax: 32 (0)3 213 5321 • Email: info@subind.net • www.subind.net