Lack of timely holds maintenance is the main reason for increasing of time required for holds cleaning and, depending on the required cleanliness standard, can result in the necessity of touch up or even a full painting of holds surface. Partial touch-up is required to prevent further corrosion of the metal and to improve the general hold condition and possible damage of the next cargo at the areas where the paint peeling off or surface is rusty with flakes or areas with damaged coating, for example, the scratches are appeared after use of grab during unloading operations.
The process of painting the cargo holds of seagoing vessels
Prior painting of cargo hold the surface must be well-prepared. Outside drydock the surface preparation could be done by using manual or electrical or pneumatic mechanical tools (the loose paint, rust scales, sharp edges, oil greeds must be removed to correspond with St2* standard of metal surface cleaning as per ISO 8501), thereafter these areas must be rinsed with fresh water and become dry. It is important to start painting after not more than 2 hours in order to prevent the process of oxidation of the cleaned surface during contact with air due to high humidity and salinity at sea passage.
The main part of painting works is done by paint rollers, sometimes by paint sprayer. As metal does not have the ability to absorb liquids, the leakages can appear on the metall surface. It can be avoided by painting of small areas and with a thin layer. Special attention should be paid to areas prone to corrosion: edges, holes, welding lines, etc.
While using two-component paint, you have to follow the mixing ratio recommended by the manufacturer. During favorable weather condition, the paint curing takes about 2-3 days, in well-ventilated hold unless the manufacturer has stated another recommendation.
The suitable conditions for painting works are the air temperature starting from +4°C and humidity about 40-70%.
Fortuna International Ltd performs all types of hold preparation works in order to get surveyors approval of cargo holds for carriage of intended cargo. Our company is ready to clean and paint holds in any country in the world in timely and cost-efficient manner.
* St2 – Thorough manual and mechanical cleaning – When viewed without magnifying devices, the surface must be free of visible oil, grease, and dirt as well as loose adhering scale, rust, paint coatings and foreign substance