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Subsea Industries offers coating to stop rudder cavitation

ANTWERP's Subsea Industries is offering a coating called Ecoshield to prevent cavitation on rudders and other running gear coated with traditional paints.

Applications have been carried out in China, Ivory Coast, Turkey and Sweden on car carriers, ferries and a tug in the last few months.

"Some are new customers, some returning ones," said the Subsea Industries statement. "They had experienced firsthand the devastating effect of cavitation and decided to use Ecoshield to ensure lasting protection against corrosion and erosion damage for the rudders, nozzle rings and tunnel thrusters.

"Protection of the running gear of your ships is best begun at the newbuild phase. When a ship comes into drydock, maintenance of its stern area, especially cavitation and corrosion damage repair, can take a long time," said the press release.

The company warned that while there are strict procedures concerning blasting, welding and propeller and stern tube seal work, painting is then assigned to the end and may be may be rushed or not done at all to avoid a prolonged stay in drydock.

"The newbuild phase is the perfect time to apply Ecoshield. However, the coating can also be used to protect vessels that have been in service for some time and are already facing cavitation and corrosion damage.

Ecoshield's flexibility makes it easy to adapt the application schedule to the rest of the activities at the shipyard or drydock in a way which does not interfere with them.

Overcoating time can take three hours, which means that for smaller surfaces such as rudders or bow thrusters the two coats required can usually be applied in one single day.

Besides offering rudder protection Ecoshield is also suitable for thrusters, azimuth thrusters, azipods, thruster nozzles, thruster tunnels and other underwater ship gear which needs special protection from corrosion.

The extra strength coating protects these areas for the service life of the ship. There is no need for re-coating or major repair.

For this reason the thruster tunnels of several vehicle carriers were also coated together with their rudders, as was the nozzle ring of a ferry and a tug.