Protecting Marine Assets - The Battle Marine Vessels Along South Africa's Coastline Fight Daily

Vessels operating in Durban, Richards Bay, Cape Town, East London, Port Elizabeth and Saldanha, face one of the most aggressive corrosion environments. These ports expose steel structures to continuous salt contamination, seawater immersion, tidal fluctuations, mechanical abrasion and galvanic attack. South Africa's busy commercial ports support extensive tugboat, dredging & marine operations, making corrosion management a critical asset preservation challenge. 

The problem is not simply rust, but the electrochemical reaction occurring every second beneath the surface.
When dissimilar metals are connected in conductive seawater, galvanic corrosion begins. Add stray electrical currents from shore power systems, welding activities, marine infrastructure and vessel equipment, and electrolytic corrosion accelerates even further.

This is why sacrificial anodes often disappear far faster than expected.
Many vessel owners replace anodes repeatedly without addressing the root cause such as ↩
‣ Soluble salt contamination trapped beneath coatings,
‣ Inadequate cathodic protection design,
‣ Damaged barrier coatings & Poor coating adhesion & also,
‣ Incomplete integration between coating systems & CP systems

A sacrificial anode is not designed to carry the corrosion burden alone.
True long-term protection occurs when CP's and Coating Systems work together.

This is the principle behind modern Duplex Protection Systems.
The coating acts as the primary barrier, reducing current demand, while cathodic protection safeguards exposed steel where damage occurs. 

Together they significantly outperform either system operating independently.

Polymer Coatings Group's asset preservation methodology focuses on four integrated protection layers:
1️⃣ LSSR – Liquid Soluble Salt Remediation
Removing invisible chloride contamination before coating application.
2️⃣ Zinc Guard
A cold galvanizing zinc-rich coating providing active galvanic protection to steel.
3️⃣ Zinc Cathodic 2K Extreme PU Barrier Coating
A flexible zinc cathodic barrier coating engineered for extreme marine environments.
4️⃣ Cathodic Duplex Coating System
Tested for ISO 12944 C5-H High Durability and ISO 12944 IM3 immersion environments, delivering protection suitable for highly corrosive coastal & submerged marine assets.

The result is a corrosion management strategy designed to:
Reduce dry-dock cycles, reduce anode consumption
& maintenance costs, increase fleet availability & long-term asset value.

Is your corrosion protection strategy working or are your vessels relying on sacrificial anodes or ICCP only? 

Talk to us about the corrosion challenges you see on your vessels!