by GuestfromEU » May 24, 2019, 7:50 pm
Guest wrote:Paint on a hull makes the vessel look nice, protects the vessel from rusting out. Does not help with the bottom line as far as hauling cargo. Therefore, a lot of the companies do not spend the money on paint as part of there maintenance like they use to.
Very true point in that vessel appearances are not as high a priority as in years past. That said, with the plethora of vessel inspections, vettings, ISO/ISM audits, and port state regulations, ocean-going ships are generally well maintained appearance-wise, particularly tankers.
I would point out that hull coatings (paint) are directly related to the efficiency of the vessel (which affects the bottom line). A hull with new coatings will have less resistance passing through the water. This may not make the ship any faster, but it will reduce fuel consumption. Marine growth on a hull also reduces efficiency. Propellers are polished routinely to further increase efficiency.
Unfortunately, as far as topsides go, paint is not cheap. A few years ago I worked in South Korea at Hyundai shipyard as a construction manager for a LNG shipping company building several vessels. The shipyard line item cost for exterior topside coating on this class, per ship (not the hull, only the superstructure, decks, and machinery) was USD$625,000. Labour was included in that figure, but labour was not expensive.
[quote="Guest"]Paint on a hull makes the vessel look nice, protects the vessel from rusting out. Does not help with the bottom line as far as hauling cargo. Therefore, a lot of the companies do not spend the money on paint as part of there maintenance like they use to.[/quote]
Very true point in that vessel appearances are not as high a priority as in years past. That said, with the plethora of vessel inspections, vettings, ISO/ISM audits, and port state regulations, ocean-going ships are generally well maintained appearance-wise, particularly tankers.
I would point out that hull coatings (paint) are directly related to the efficiency of the vessel (which affects the bottom line). A hull with new coatings will have less resistance passing through the water. This may not make the ship any faster, but it will reduce fuel consumption. Marine growth on a hull also reduces efficiency. Propellers are polished routinely to further increase efficiency.
Unfortunately, as far as topsides go, paint is not cheap. A few years ago I worked in South Korea at Hyundai shipyard as a construction manager for a LNG shipping company building several vessels. The shipyard line item cost for exterior topside coating on this class, per ship (not the hull, only the superstructure, decks, and machinery) was USD$625,000. Labour was included in that figure, but labour was not expensive.