Quarterly Journal of

PERFORMANCE
Vol. 1, Issue 4 October, 2011

SHIP HULL

Albert Edelfelt, 'Boys playing on the shore', 1884. Reproduced with permission of the Finnish National Gallery.

Is the Writing on the Wall for Copper-based Antifouling Paint?

for a living planet

Advancing Research and Knowledge of Hull Corrosion and Biofouling Control

Tributyltin pollution on a global scale. An overview of relevant and recent research: impacts and issues.
A close look at restrictions and legislation on copper and co-biocide based antifouling paints and a comparison with the cycle which led to the eventual ban of TBT. Excerpts from a report commissioned by the WWF for action by the IMO prior to the final ban of TBT in 2008. Dr. Geoffrey Swain and the Team at the Center for Corrosion and Biofouling Control at the Florida Institute of Technology.

The importance of ship hull coatings and maintenance as drivers for environmental sustainability

Managing the use of Copper-Based Antifouling Paints

An interview with Howard Jess, Paint Inspector

G.W. Swain, Florida Institute of Technology, USA.

Mridula Srinivasan and Geoffrey W. Swain.

The paint inspector's role in ship hull coating success.

An interview with Howard Jess, Paint Inspector

urrently working as an independent paint inspector specializing in the marine sector, Howard Jess is a NACE Level 2 Marine Paint Inspector and a developer of commercially adopted innovative coating technology who has published a number of technical papers and spoken at many international events. Howard studied chemistry at the Glasgow College of Technology and has over 30 years of experience in the paint industry. He has overseen many Ecospeed applications, including the original coating of the British Antarctic Surveys Ernest Shackleton in 2009, the Disney Cruise Line and Stena newbuilds in 2009 and 2010, and a number of other applications, small and large.

Ship Hull Performance (SHP):

What does an independent paint inspector do?

Howard Jess (HJ):

The main task of a paint inspector is to ensure that the client receives the best job possible. The client can be the owner of the asset, the applicator, or even a paint company. This can result in challenging situations when the inspector appears at a yard where he is not known and proceeds to tell people, who may have been doing the job for many years, that their work is unsatisfactory. If there are 20 workers who have been abrasive blasting steel all night it can lead to some difficult discussions. Inspectors are quality assurance, QA, for the client but more and more I see us as being used as quality control, QC, by applicators and paint companies. When youve been in the same tank 10 times looking at the same type of poor preparation or application you know that there is minimal QC on site. Without a properly qualified inspector how does the owner know what is happening to his asset? you buckle under pressure you are no good as a paint inspector. If you have only passed exams and have no on-site practical experience you would be as well staying at home. There are qualified inspectors, and well qualified at that, out there who have rarely been on site. Desk warriors not site dock warriors. I would like to see inspectors have a proven track record of on-site inspections before they progress up the professional ladder.

SHP:
In that case, how can you ever break in? If you need to have a proven track record of on-site inspections before you are really qualified to do the job, how can you be trusted with an on-site inspection?

HJ:
As with all jobs you start at the bottom as an assistant to an already accredited inspector. Assisting the lead inspector gives you a good insight into what to look for, what to inspect and more importantly how to handle what can be difficult, stressful situations. You do not become a hospital consultant overnight. You cannot become a paint inspector overnight. That said Ive worked with some

SHP:
What is the paint inspector's particular value and contribution?

HJ:
Immediately I would say their integrity and knowledge. If

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inspectors who are less than 25 years of age. That can be more of a challenge.

SHP:
When it comes to underwater hull coatings, rudder coatings, etc. do all paint companies insist that a paint inspector be present for the job? If not, which ones do and which don't? What are your feelings about it?

corners by using certain techniques but Sa 2.5 in general is the one for me. Techniques which do not re-establish or produce a good anchor profile are of limited value in my eyes. That said, sometimes due to environmental constraints or because of the presence of fragile equipment nearby, techniques other than abrasive blasting have to be used.

SHP: HJ:
Most paint companies will supply some form of inspection on site. Not all are there when application takes place. Im not going to mention who but I feel that some companies short change their clients. Im sure that clients/end-users would like some companies to do more. Then again, perhaps some companies do not have the technical assets to assist in every job. Nor commercially do they wish to go into a yard which is buying their paint and tell them that their work is not satisfactory. Can you compare the various types of coatings available for the underwater hull from the paint inspector's viewpoint? (AF/SPC. FR, STC, any others). This would be from the point of view of quality of erosion/corrosion protection, usefulness for fouling control and fuel cost reduction and any other factors but not necessarily cost.

HJ:
As an inspector one area which can cause concern is the ease of repair. In the present economic climate where owners can change routings, use slow steaming or even lay up their ships, the choice of underwater hull coatings can be daunting and if wrong choices are made the results can be costly. Personally, I would go for a product with minimal number of coats, a good history, ease of application and excellent foul prevention in a range of climates. Note I dont use the term anti-fouling as this suggests to me some form of chemical attack against marine organisms. More and more countries will insist on toxic-free hull coatings before ships enter their waters. Im of course thinking of the West Coast of USA and the

SHP:
How do you make sure you remain independent and work for the client rather than for the paint company?

HJ:
The client is who ever pays my invoice. That said a good inspector will work with all parties to ensure that a good job is accomplished.

SHP:
Tell me about preparation for painting. What do you consider to be the best practice for underwater hull preparation for paint? Can you explain?

HJ:
Im a Sa 2.5 type of guy. Do not compromise on preparation as failure to prepare correctly will cause premature service life of a coating system. Ive been involved in the coatings business for over 30 years and have seen many wonder coatings come and go. We have a wonderful/novel/new/blahblah coating which is surface tolerant. Weve heard it all before and how many last in volume production for more than a few years? Whereas the older tried and tested products and preparation menthods supply good service for many years. There was a trend towards less aggressive preparation or easier preparation. It can be very tempting to cut

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SHP:
Do you have a viewpoint on the toxicity of underwater hull coatings, how important it is, whether leaching biocides into the water is acceptable or not? If so, could you expound?

HJ:
There is a swing away from toxic hull coatings and has been for some time now. As more countries embrace the various types of aquaculture to increase protein production Im sure that most if not all leaching coatings, no matter what they leach, will eventually be banned.

SHP:
Is there a difference in ease of application between the various coatings?

HJ:
Im sure that one of the big issues for inspectors is the huge variance between the quality of applicators worldwide. Not just in different regions but even in the same yard. In fact Ive seen excellent painter work on the port side of a vessel and a disaster on the starboard side. I guess thats why inspectors have so much work. With the odd exception most coatings are very similar to apply. Great Lakes. Im sure that the Baltic countries will be looking at this too.

SHP:
What's best for icegoing vessels or icebreakers?

SHP:
Can you compare costs in terms of total cost of ownership for these various coating types?

HJ:
Without a doubt, glassflake coatings.

HJ:
This is a complete topic of its own. Less fouling equals better fuel consumption and shorter dockings. Shorter dockings equal less off-hire costs. An interesting question but I doubt if anyone would have enough data to make a definitive statement. But it is obvious that less fouling is beneficial commercially. Taking the technicalities out of the equation, in my view the greatest advantage in using a glassflake coating is cost. Two applications means only 2x painters costs. When using other conventional systems we could be talking about painters costs x 7. Do the maths! Add to that reduced repair work meaning less time in drydock, less time off-hire and increased fuel efficiency and the product should just about sell itself.

SHP:
Have you noticed a difference between coatings when it comes to protection from cavitation damage?

HJ:
I have only seen good results with glassflake products.

SHP:
Anything else you would like to say about hull coatings in general or any aspect of the subject in particular?

HJ:
Only now are asset owners or management companies seeing the value of hull coatings. Its taken a long time. Just recently I heard a yards ship manager say, Are we putting some of the red stuff on today?! A well applied,

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HJ:
Yes, and this could have a major impact on shipowners. Currently the ruling is not mandatory but it would be worthwhile for all who could be affected by this to become familiar with the ruling. Even at the simplest level, if ratified, owners may have to keep records of a bio-fouling management plan. Given that some vessels will change their routings over the years and I see now that many companies are announcing the introduction of slow steaming or even super slow steaming, the choice of underwater hull coating becomes more critical. Some work at certain speeds and environmental conditions which may change if the vessels trading pattern changes from, say, temperate to tropical water or their speed through the water changes. This will likely have some effect on the efficacy of the underwater hull coating. Perhaps owners should consider this when selecting coatings particularly now for new-builds. Ballast water treatment was and is a hot topic and I would not be surprised if underwater hull coatings becomes the next hot topic. How many million square metres of underwater hull are coated each year? _________ Howard Jess can be reached at howie@howardjess.co.uk. His website is www.howardjess.co.uk.

well formulated hull coating will pay for itself over a very short period of time. But for some companies its out of sight, out of mind. Just stand on the shore near Europort, Rotterdam for a short period of time and look at the condition of some of the hulls when the ships leave under ballast. Some are in a truly dreadful state. IMO has, regrettably, had to tell shipowners how to paint their ballast tanks. I say regrettably simply because a worldwide industry such as shipping should not have allowed itself to get into such a position that an outside body had to tell it how to protect its assets. If the industry does not learn from that episode Im sure that the same situation could arise with hull coatings.

SHP:
Now that you mention the IMO, that brings up another point. What is your take on the recent MPEC/IMO ruling on hull coatings and invasive (alien) species? Im sure youre familiar with it.

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