Polar certification renewal for Ecospeed

Lloyd’s Register said that if the coating is applied in way of the ice belt on ships intending to navigate in first year ice conditions and well maintained, then steel plate thickness of the ice belt can be reduced by up to 1mm.

This is a considerable saving for shipowners planning newbuilds for Arctic operations. It also reduces the overall weight of the vessel.

Manuel Hof, Subsea Industries’ Production Executive and NACE Coatings Inspector, said: “An added advantage is that ice-going vessels operating with Ecospeed do not need to recoat their hulls year on year because there is minimal damage to the coating. That’s a further saving. In effect, the coating forms part of the hull structure.”

The five-year certification renewal comes at a time of increased offshore support vessels operations and expedition type cruising in polar waters.