Marine Deck Coating Removal With The TFP 200 Deck Crawler/Scarifier

Maintenance and repair of protective coatings is a constant process on any oceangoing vessel. Given the corrosive nature of seawater and the constant movement of cargo and crew, regularly scheduled maintenance is critical to keeping a vessel in service. Having the right surface preparation tools for the removal of coatings and corrosion can make all the difference on a vessel and reduce expensive future repairs.

Royal Wagenborg

Founded in 1898, Royal Wagenborg is an international maritime logistics conglomerate. The family-owned and managed company offers a variety of maritime services with a fleet of 180+ vessels transporting over 30 million tons of goods annually.

The Vessel: Wagenborg MV Amazoneborg

Length: 470 feet
Capacity: 707,633 FT³ of grain/bale
Cargo Holds: 2 holds/hatches

The Challenge: Coating & Corrosion Removal On A 470 FT Vessel During Transport

The Amazoneborg, like any vessel, is constantly in the fight against rust and corrosion. Applications of coatings to the ship's hull are one of the main methods for preservation. Coatings are not permanent and even in good conditions, they can last as little as 18 months – even less if scrapes and scratches occur. Because of this, preventative maintenance is a year-round process, with most upkeep happening while the vessel is in transport.

Even with preventative maintenance some corrosion still occurs. Coating re-application leads to high-buildup which eventually needs to be fully stripped. Coatings are meant to endure the harshest conditions and remain intact, so coating removal can be time-consuming if you don't have the right equipment.

The Solution: TFP 200 Electric Deck Scaler/Crawler

To facilitate ship maintenance, a surface preparation package including a deck scaler and the required cutters and brushes was deployed to the MV Amazoneborg while the vessel was at sea. With many needed repairs this was the most efficient way to complete necessary ship maintenance without impacting transport schedules and profitability.

The Surface Preparation Package Included: An 8" TFP200 electric deck scaler (P/N 320.2004T) A drum with TCT carbide cutters (a drum and full set of cutters and spacers are fitted standard on all Walk-behind scarifiers) (P/N 320.1020ST) A set of wire brushes (P/N 320.9620)

All our floor scarifiers come standard with a pre-mounted drum and, for this application, fitted with 80 carbide cutting teeth (P/N 320.5500) and 88 spacers (P/N 320.4140). This meant the deck scaler was ready-to-run and the crew was able to get right to work.

The carbide cutting teeth are the most aggressive type of cutters we offer and are very effective in the removal of non-skid or high build, multiple-layer coatings which are very common on a vessel of this age.

The wire brush drum was used for final preparation and the feathering of intact coatings to ensure smooth transitions when new coatings were applied.
 

Wagenborg used the TFP200 deck scaler on several different surfaces over a three-month period, including heavily corroded tween decks, lightly painted tanktops, and thick-coated weather decks. They found the scaling tools the crew had previously used were no comparison to the TFP200 deck scaler in regards to operational efficiency in open deck areas.

This is displayed in the images below, in which the team descaled the 82 ft² deck in under one hour. If the same area was descaled using only hand-held needle/chisel scalers, Wagenborg advised that it would have taken three crew members at least 2-3 working days to complete the same project.

During Removal	After Re-Coating

During Removal	After Re-Coating

The Result: Increased Productivity, Reduced Fatigue & Improved Surface Preparation

After a successful three-month period, Royal Wagenborg found the TFP200 allowed users to cover much larger areas in less time, keeping on top of regular preventative maintenance and reducing expensive future repairs.

The TFP 200 scarifier made easy work of deck surface preparation as can be seen from the figures below:

• 374 ft² covered
• Removed up to 1/8" (3mm) of coatings and corrosion
• All in under 5 hours 

Learn more about the tools in this article: 8" width TFP200 electric deck scarifier (P/N 320.2004T) A Scarifying Drum including TCT carbide cutters (Pre-mounted as standard)  (P/N 320.1020ST) A Set of Wire brushes (P/N 320.9620)