Finland: Icebreaking Tug Jaasalo Gets Its Coat of Ecospeed

Last month the rudder and the ice belt of the harbor icebreaker tug Jaasalo were coated with Ecospeed in Naantali, Finland. The m/s Jaasalo is responsible for keeping the Veitsiluoto fairway open in the port of Kemi in Finland.

The Port of Kemi in the Bothnian Bay is an excellent import and export harbor for the industry of the Barents Region. The harbor represents the fastest route to the northern areas of Finland, Sweden, Norway, and the Murmansk area in Russia. Nearly 750 vessels visit Kemi each year, with relatively equal distribution throughout the year. The vessels carry about 3 million tons of goods. It is therefore extremely important that the harbor is able to offer its own icebreaker services to vessels.

The decision to use Ecospeed on the rudder of the vessel was made by the shipowner after cavitation damage had appeared. Ecospeed will prevent similar damage from occurring again and ensures lasting protection for the remainder of the vessel’s service life.

The rudder must be protected from the damaging effects of cavitation. Ecospeed gives a very thorough and lasting defense against cavitation and corrosion damage for a ship hull’s entire service life. The coating equally provides the rudder (and the entire underwater hull) with an impenetrable protective layer while its flexibility enables absorption of the forces that are produced by cavitation. This prevents the damage normally caused by this phenomenon.

Certified abrasive resistant coating

Together with the rudder the ice belt of the Jääsalo was coated with Ecospeed. This is the area on the underwater hull most prone to mechanical damage from sailing through and breaking ice. On the bow the ice belt can extend to about 1 meter above the waterline. Ecospeed has received the Lloyd’s Register certificate that recognizes the coating as an abrasion resistant ice coating. This allows owners of newbuild vessels intending to navigate in ice conditions to reduce the thickness of the plating of the ice belt as long as this area is coated with Ecospeed.

The owners of m/s Jääsalo also coated the entire stern area with Ecospeed and are planning to have the remainder of the underwater hull of the icebreaker tug coated with Ecospeed later this year, to give the entire underwater part of the vessel the same lasting protection against ice.

[mappress]

Source: hydrex, July 13, 2012