MAERSK INTERNATIONAL

TECHNICAL STANDARD

MITS-34

PROCTECTIVE COATING OF STEEL

REV. 6
01.09.2005
 MITS-34
Issued: 01.09.2005
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PROTECTIVE COATING OF STEEL

INDEX

1 SCOPE ......................................................................................................... 3

2 REGULATIONS, CODES AND STANDARDS ............................................. 3

2.1 Codes and Standards....................................................................... 3

3 ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS .................................................................. 4

3.1 General .............................................................................................. 4

3.1.1 Classification of areas ....................................................................... 4
3.1.2 Coating Manual ................................................................................. 4
3.1.3 Supervision........................................................................................ 4
3.2 Materials ............................................................................................ 4
3.2.1 Coating .............................................................................................. 4
3.2.2 Thinners ............................................................................................ 5
3.2.3 Abrasives........................................................................................... 5
3.2.4 Compressed Air................................................................................. 5
3.3 Application ........................................................................................ 5
3.3.1 Preparation of Surfaces..................................................................... 5
3.3.2 Coating .............................................................................................. 7
3.3.3 Thermally sprayed metallic coatings ................................................. 8
3.3.4 Repair................................................................................................ 9
3.4 Inspection........................................................................................ 10
3.4.1 Steel surface ................................................................................... 10
3.4.2 Coating ............................................................................................ 10
3.4.3 Thickness measurement ................................................................. 11
3.5 Reporting......................................................................................... 11

4 CERTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS .......................................................... 12

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ATTACHMENTS
1. Coating Systems
2. Coating Specification
3. Helideck drawing ASECI-02-02617-0008
 MITS-34
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1 SCOPE

This MITS-34 covers the requirements for protective coating of steel and
other surfaces. It contains additional Company requirements or specifies
requirements where the codes and standards allow alternatives.
MITS-34 is a part of the Maersk International Technical Standards (MITS).
MITS-0 is applicable to and contains general instructions for the application
of all MITS. MITS-0 furthermore contains definitions and abbreviations
applicable to all MITS.
In addition to the requirements of MITS, any applicable requirements of
Maersk International Documentation Standard (MIDS) shall apply.

2 REGULATIONS, CODES AND STANDARDS

Compliance is required with all applicable regulations and with the latest
edition of codes and standards listed below, unless otherwise stated.
Reference to other MIDS or MITS standards are for convenience only and
shall not limit the application of any relevant MITS or MIDS requirements.

2.1 Codes and Standards

All codes and standards referenced below shall apply in latest edition unless
otherwise stated.
Compliance is required with all applicable parts of the codes and standards
specified.
ASTM MEK-test (Methyl-Ethyl-Ketone) for testing of zinc Silicate
D4752-03 paint
SSPC Steel Structures Painting Council Visual Standards
ISO 1461 Hot Dip Galvanized Coatings on Fabricated Iron and Steel
articles.
ISO 2409 Cross-cut adherence test
ISO 2632-2 Roughness comparison specimens – part 2. (e.g. Rugo
test No 3.)
ISO 4625 Pull of Test for Adhesion
ISO 8501-1 Preparation of steel substrates before application of paints
and related products – visual assessment of surface
cleanliness – part 1: Rust grades and preparation grades
of uncoated steel substrates and of steel substrates after
overall removal of previous coatings.
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RAL Colours for Identification Purposes.

SSPC-PA2 Measurement of dry paint thickness with magnetic gauges

3 ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS

3.1 General

3.1.1 Classification of areas

The applicable coating system shall be identified for all surfaces according
to Attachment 1.
All areas not specifically mentioned shall be coated to conform to surroun-
dings or comparable areas.

3.1.2 Coating Manual

Contractor shall provide a coating manual. This manual shall describe all
activities in connection with the coating work, including repair, and for each
applicable area the surface preparation and the specific coating system,
sequence of colours, the selected product manufacturer, and the control
procedures. The manual shall comply with the recommendations of the
product manufacturer and shall be available for Company review before the
work is commenced.

3.1.3 Supervision

Contractor shall arrange for a technical representative from the selected

coating manufacturer to be present at the yard to advice on the application
of his Company's product(s), so the work will conform to this MITS and to
the paint manufacturer's requirements.

3.2 Materials

3.2.1 Coating

3.2.1.1 Systems

The surface treatment and topcoat colours shall comply with the
requirements in Attachment 2.
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3.2.1.2 Storage

Storage of coating materials shall be in accordance with the paint manufac-

turer's recommendations.
Coating materials which have livered, gelled or otherwise deteriorated during
storage shall not be used. Materials shall be used within its shelf life. If shelf
life is not marked on the container, the material shall not be used unless the
product manufacturer confirms in writing that the shelf life is unrestricted.

3.2.2 Thinners

Only thinners recommended by the paint manufacturer shall be used. The

mixing and thinning directions given by the paint manufacturer shall be
followed.

3.2.3 Abrasives

Abrasives for blasting shall be grit or a mixture of grit and shot and selected
in order to provide the required surface.
The abrasives shall be kept free from salt, moisture and other impurities in-
cluding silicone.

3.2.4 Compressed Air

The compressed air supply for abrasive blasting shall be dry, clean and free
from water and oil. Adequate separators and trays shall be provided and
these shall be emptied regularly.
When resuming work after a break, a blast of air alone shall be directed
against a clean, white cotton rag for 15 seconds with fully opened valve. If
any droplets or other contamination is shown, the source shall be found and
eliminated, and the test repeated.

3.3 Application

3.3.1 Preparation of Surfaces

3.3.1.1 Degreasing

All steel shall be cleaned for oil, grease and salt prior to blasting by steam
cleaning or with suitable emulsion cleaner followed by fresh water washing
and drying. Solvent swabbing shall be used only on minor areas, using clean
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rags and copious volume of solvent; cleanliness of such areas shall be

demonstrated by their ability to support a continuous film of clean water.

3.3.1.2 Grinding

All sharp edges and welds, which do not have a smooth ripple finish, shall
be ground to give a smooth rounded contour to a minimum edged radius of
2 mm.

3.3.1.3 Pickling of Welds

In areas where welding fumes have been in contact with the steel surface
alkaline deposits may have been left on the surface. The presence of these
deposits can be identified using pH paper. Where the pH value is found to
be above 9 the steel surface shall be washed off with diluted phosphoric
acid (5%) and subsequently rinsed with clean fresh water before any further
surface treatment takes place.

3.3.1.4 Grit Blasting

All steel shall be dry blasted to min. SA 2½ according to ISO 8501 and the
anchor profile of the surface shall be between:
Ra = 12.5 microns (Rugo test No. 3, BN 10a) and
Ra = 25 microns (Rugo test No. 3, BN 11)
unless the coating manufacturer specifically sets stricter requirements.
Inhibitive washing to prevent rusting after blast cleaning shall not be used.

3.3.1.5 Galvanized Surfaces

Salt, oil, grease and other impurities shall be removed from any hot dip
galvanized steel surfaces before painting of these. Inclusions of zinc ash in
the coating as well as sharp edges, sags and runs must be removed by grin-
ding/polishing. The galvanized surface shall prior to painting have a light
sweep blasting to secure bonding of paint.

3.3.1.6 Painting of SS/Duplex/SMO surfaces

All stainless steel, duplex and SMO surfaces shall be painted according to
the following requirements:
- Surface pre-treatment shall be performed as per paint manufacturer’s
recommendation.
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- Prior to painting the surface a sweep blasting to roughen the surface

shall be performed.
- System 10 shall be applied.
Surfaces of Titanium material shall not be painted.

3.3.1.7 Coating of insulated piping/equipment

All insulated piping shall be coated underneath the insulation material in

accordance with the requirement of this MITS.

3.3.1.8 Shop Primer

When shop primer is applied, this shall be compatible with the welding and
approved by the paint manufacturer as compatible with the specified paint
system, or the surface shall be completely re-blasted.

3.3.2 Coating

3.3.2.1 General

Coating shall be applied according to good practice and in accordance with

the coating manufacturer's recommendations.
All paint work shall be performed by airless spray and shall be applied in
multiple passes to obtain the Dry Film Thickness (DFT) recommended by
the paint manufacturer.
The Contractor shall choose contrasting colours for each individual coat in
order to ensure complete coverage of successive coats (or if the coat is to
be applied in multiple passes to obtain the prescribed DFT, for each
individual pass). Colours shall always be applied in the same order, so that
the stage of painting may be ascertained by the colour.
Prepared coating materials shall be used within the specified pot-life. When
this time limit is reached, the spray pot and other equipment shall be
emptied and cleaned, and the remaining material discarded.
During blasting and painting close to areas of stainless steel, instruments
and mechanical equipment these areas/items shall be sufficiently covered to
avoid contamination.

3.3.2.2 Surface Conditions

The steel or preceding coating surfaces shall be free from dust, and clean
from impurities such as grease, oil, salt, dirt, and moisture before over
coating.
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Damage, bare spots or insufficient thickness in the preceding coats shall,

prior to application of any coat, except for shop primer, be cleaned to the
original specified quality and touched up with the same number of coats and
layer thickness’ as originally applied.

3.3.2.3 Atmospheric Conditions

No coating shall be applied when the relative humidity of the air exceeds the
limits given below.
a. Zinc Ethyl Silicate: 50% min.
90% max.
65% preferred
b. Other coatings: No coating shall be applied when the relative humidity
of the air is outside the limits given by paint manufacturer or above
85%, whichever is the lowest.
No coating shall be applied during fog, mist, rain, when the surrounding air
temperature is below the paint manufacturer's recommendations, or if the
area surface temperature is less than 3 degrees Celsius above the dew
point.

3.3.2.4 Stripe Coating

Edges of beams, all sharp edges, excessive irregular welds, etc. shall be
ground and brush striped before each full coat is applied.

3.3.2.5 Curing

Each coat shall be allowed to cure for the time specified by the paint
manufacturer. The maximum time interval between application of coats shall
be as specified in the manufacturer’s data sheets.

3.3.3 Thermally sprayed metallic coatings

3.3.3.1 Coating materials

The materials and conditions for metal spraying shall be in accordance with
ISO 2063.
The composition of the coating materiel shall be thermally sprayed
aluminium: 100% aluminium or AlMg5: 95% Al, 5% Mg.
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All coating metals shall be supplied with product data sheets and quality
control certificates, and be marked with coating metal manufacturer’s name,
manufacturing standard, metal composition weight and date of manufacture.

3.3.3.2 Application of thermally sprayed metallic coatings

Each coat shall be applied uniformly over the entire surface.

Equipment for application shall follow guidelines set out in DIN 32521.
For items that will be welded after spraying, 5-10 cm measured from the
bevel area shall be left uncoated.
The coating shall be firmly adherent. The surface after spraying shall be
uniform and free of lumps, loosely adherent spattered metal, bubbles, ash
formation, defects and uncoated spots.
Before application of any further coat, any damage to the previous coat shall
be repaired.
The treating and handling of the substrate shall be done in such a manner
that the product in its final condition will have a continuous and uniform
coating.
Before the metal spraying operation starts, the area 30-40 cm in distance
from the weld zone shall be cleaned to ensure that all contamination is
removed. The uncoated welding zone shall then be blast cleaned to Sa 2½
(ISO 8501-1) with an anchor profile of at least Medium G (ISO 8503).

3.3.4 Repair

All damage to the coating system shall be repaired. The specified cleaning
grade and type (number) of coatings shall be re-established as for original
coating system.

3.3.4.1 Surface Preparation

Surface preparation shall be carried out by blasting except for minor damage
where mechanical disc grinding to St 3 (ISO 8501-1) may be applied subject
to recommendation by the paint manufacturer.

3.3.4.2 Repair Painting

All repair paint shall be applied in accordance with section 3.3.2. For
surfaces where System 2 has been applied onshore, offshore paint repair
shall be according to System 5 unless specified otherwise by Company.
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3.3.4.3 Repair of Hot-dip Galvanized Steel

Scratches need not be repaired. Other damage e.g. areas along welds, shall
be repaired by the following procedure:
a. The damaged area shall be cleaned to bare steel by grit-blasting to
SA 2½.
b. The cleaned area shall be painted with two layers of zinc rich epoxy
to maximum 80 micron DFT.

3.4 Inspection

3.4.1 Steel surface

Surface cleanliness shall be estimated by comparison with the standard

sheets of ISO 8501-1
Roughness shall be estimated by comparison with Rugo test no. 3.
Company may at any time during the paint work require that the steel
surface is checked for the presence of oil. This shall be made by spraying a
thin film of clean, potable water on the steel surface concerned. The surface
shall be able to support a continuous water film.

3.4.2 Coating

3.4.2.1 General

All coats of paint shall be inspected for coverage and general appearance.
Transparent areas and sags are not acceptable. Any coat layer shall be
completed before over coating.

3.4.2.2 Primer

Attention shall be given to zinc dust on surfaces after spraying with zinc rich
primer. If zinc dust is present on the surfaces, the dust shall be removed by
grinding and vacuum cleaning prior to measuring of coat thickness and
painting of next coat. Attention shall also be given to cracked zinc coats.
Cracked coats shall be repaired.
Before further coating is applied on top of zinc silicate, MEK-test (ASTM D
4752-03) shall be carried out and show adequate hardening.
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3.4.2.3 Intercoat

Visual inspection shall be made for pinholes in the second coat when zinc
rich primer is applied.

3.4.3 Thickness measurement

3.4.3.1 Scope

Thickness measurement shall as a minimum be performed and reported on

completion of primer and top coat.
Measurement of interim coatings shall be performed as required by paint
manufacturer or Company representative inspector.

3.4.3.2 Equipment

For measuring of dry film thickness, electronic fixed probe gauges shall be
used.
Wet film gauges should be used only for guidance during the spraying
process.
If the measuring probe leaves marks on the surface, then these marks shall
be repaired.

3.4.3.3 Procedure and Acceptance Criteria

Procedure, including calibration, and acceptance criteria shall be in

accordance with SSPC-PA2.
The thickness of the calibration standards, shims of plastic or of
non-magnetic metal, shall be verified with a micrometer.
During use, the calibration shall be checked at least weekly in order to keep
the accuracy valid for the gauge.

3.5 Reporting

A daily log shall be maintained, which as a minimum shall contain:

- Air temperature, relative humidity and dew point
- Identification of area(s) coated
- Surface temperature at start and finish of the work
- Coating System, materials and film thickness applied
- Painting progress/time lapse between coats
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4 CERTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS

Certification confirming that the painting and other surface protection has
been applied according to this standard, referenced codes and standards
and the coating manufacturers recommendations.
The coating manual for the specific work shall be appended to the Certificate
of Compliance.
 MITS-34 Attachment 1
Issued: 01.09.2005
Rev. 6 Page 1 of 1

COATING SYSTEMS
System Area Colour (RAL) Notes
All structural steel and appurtenances in the splash zone
Yellow (1023)
(-2.0 m to +6.0 m relative to LAT)

External surfaces of all caissons, J-tubes, risers, stilling

System 1 Yellow (1023)
tubes and skim piles - from top to bottom
Internal surfaces of caissons and stilling tubes with pumps
inslalled. The coating shall be applied between 1 m above Yellow (1023)
and 1 m below the pump suction
All steel surfaces above splash zone except where
Yellow (1023)
specified otherwise below
Process and utility piping, vessels and tanks with surface
System 2 Grey (7030) 1, 2, 5
temperature up to and including 120 °C
Machinery, equipment and panels with surface temperature
Grey (7030)
up to and including 120 °C
Plated decks, including laydown areas and walkways. Grey (7030)
System 3 Escape routes Yellow (1023) 3
Helidecks Green (6024) 6
Machinery, equipment and panels with surface temperature
System 4 Grey (7030) 2
above 120 °C and below 200 °C
Machinery, equipment and panels with surface temperature
System 5 Grey (7030) 2, 4
up to and including 120 °C
System 6 Hop dip galvanized surfaces Grey (7030)
Structural surfaces requiring fire resisting paint Yellow (1023)
System 7 Machinery, equipment and panels requiring fire resisting
Grey (7030)
paint
System 8 Steel surfaces in indoor (HVAC controlled) areas Grey (7030)
Machinery, equipment and panels in indoor (HVAC
System 9 Grey (7030)
controlled) areas
System 10 Stainless steel surfaces Grey (7030)
Chimneys, exhaust ducts and other surfaces with surface
System 11 Grey (7030) 2
temperature of 200 °C and above

Notes
1 GRE piping can be without paint.
2 The maximum surface temperature shall be calculated based on both process conditions and the
exposure to sunlight.
3 The direction to the nearest muster area shall be indicated on the escape route by means of
black arrows painted on top of the escape route paint. Arrows shall as a minimum be located for
each 3 m of the escape routes.
4 Can be either System 2 or System 5.
5 Instrument tubing from ASTM N08904 material shall not be painted.
6 Helideck colours and typical text markings are shown in Attachment 3.
Helideck markings are subject to approval by the aviation authorities.
 MITS-34 Attachment 2
Issued: 01.09.2005
Rev. 6 Page 1 of 2

COATING SPECIFICATION
System Coating Specification Dry Film
Thickness
(µm)

Glass flake Shall be applied in minimum three layers, 500 µm (micron)

System 1 1500
reinforced epoxy each

Primer Zinc Ethyl Silicate 75

Tiecoat According to the paint manufacturers recommendations
System 2 Intercoat Epoxy Mastic or Epoxy Mio Hi-Build 150

Topcoat Polyurethane 50
Total 275

Flint Reinforced The paint shall be rolled with a structure roller to obtain a non-
System 3 3000
Epoxy skid surface (Colturiet 7490 or HempadurSpray-Guard 35490)

Silicone/MIO Shall be applied in two layers, 125 µm each 250

or
System 4 Zinc Ethyl Silicate 75
Aluminium
Shall be applied in two layers, 25 µm each 50
Silicone
Total 125
Primer Zinc Rich Epoxy 50
Intercoat Epoxy MIO Hi-build 175
System 5
Topcoat Polyurethane 50
Total 275
Pre-treatment According to the coating manufacturers recommendations
Sealer According to the coating manufacturers recommendations
System 6 Intercoat Epoxy 150
Topcoat Polyurethane 50
Total 200
Fire Protection Intumenscent Epoxy
Primer type and thickness shall be as per the design and the
System 7 paint manufacturer’s recommendations
(Chartek, Thermo-lag, Pitt char XP or equivalent)
Topcoat Polyurethane 50
Applying (ambient) temperature of minimum 10°C
Primer Waterborne Acrylic (zinc phosphate pigmented). 160
Shall be applied in two layers, 80 µm each
Topcoat Waterborne Acrylic Enamel. 80
System 8 Shall be applied in one layer
Total 240
or
Applying (ambient) temperature below 10°C
Epoxy Mastic Shall be applied in two layers, 125 µm each 250
 MITS-34 Attachment 2
Issued: 01.09.2005
Rev. 6 Page 2 of 2

System Coating Specification Dry Film

Thickness
(µm)
Alkyd Primer Zinch phosphate primer 80
System 9 Alkyd Enamel 35
Total 115
Primer Hempadur 15550 30
System Intermediate coat Hempadur 45140 100
10 Top coat Hempathane 55210 (Polyurethane) 40
Total 170
Anticorrosive Thermally sprayed aluminum( 100% Al or 95%Al/5%Mg) 150
System
Topcoat Aluminum Silicone in two layers, 25 µm each 50
11
Total 200