Oceania Marine Masters Intersleek

Here at the shipyard we have just finished an interesting and very busy 6 months. The highlight has been gearing up to become an approved Intersleek applicator for International Paints. This has involved repairing and recoating a number of older 700 antifoul coatings and applying 2 completely new 900 antifoul coatings.

The main technical issues involved from our perspective were:

• Containment of the silicone - this involved using dedicated equipment which would only been used to apply Intersleek - careful disposal and management of all protective clothing - 100% tenting of the paint area including the floor - using inside paint shed with good extraction and filtering
• Meeting environmental specifications for application -great care must be taken to meet the humidity and temperature requirements for application - as this work was carried out in the New Zealand Winter this involved working in climate controlled paint sheds here at the shipyard - the vessels were internally preheated to warm the hull plate - heated and conditioned air was ducted into the containment tent from the shed climate control equipment
• Surface preperation prior to application was demanding - existing coatings of 700 are sticky and attract dust so careful and thorough cleaning was required - in all cases extreme care was needed to effectively wash down and clean all paint surfaces prior to painting

All the vessels we applied Intersleek to were of aluminium construction and high speed. Clients reported good speed gains and being able to maintain service speed at significantly lower engine revolutions (resulting in fuel savings). A new 900 application is also a 5 year system which is considerably longer than for conventional anti fouling.

Having mastered the application of Intersleek, so as to ensure the full benefits of the paint system accrue to the client, we have to say we are fans. If you wish to discuss this paint system with us please feel free and check us out on www.oceaniamarine.co.nz .