Blohm+Voss is, exclusively, the first European shipyard to launch state-of-the-art technology for the coating of hulls developed by Hubert Palfinger Technologies (HPT). The new, cost-saving process, the Hull Treatment Carrier, sets new standards in quality and efficiency and makes a sustainable contribution to environmental and occupational safety. Hull Treatment Carrier is now available to Blohm+Voss customers for all repair and refit projects.
Removal with high-pressure water up to 3,000 bar, automated application up to 1,200 m. per hour per Hull Treatment Carrier, up to 30 percent less coating needed – Blohm+Voss, in cooperation with Palfinger, is setting the stage for new standards in the refit and repair sector by introducing to the market a new Hull Treatment Carrier system for surface treatment and colour application.
“Our cooperation with Palfinger is an important building block in order to consistently optimise our core areas of business after becoming part of the Luerssen Group towards the end of last year. We want to offer our customers innovative and cost-efficient solutions,” explains Dieter Dehlke, CEO of Blohm+Voss. “We are pleased to have Blohm+Voss as partner at our side. With them on-board we can introduce our new process in the most suitable environment,” adds Hubert Palfinger.
Compared to common manual application techniques, with the Hull Treatment Carrier, due to the automatic surface preparation and coating, an exact and uniform colour composition can be achieved. This results in reduced consumption of the colour coating as well as a smoother application of the antifouling (AHR) providing a less rough surface, which ultimately leads to fuel savings when the ship is in operation.
In addition to the quality advantages with regard to the ship coating, further advantages are the de-creased impact on the environment, such as a significant reduction in VOC emissions, and increased occupational safety. The same applies to the subsequent ship operation, for example, carbon dioxide, sulphur oxide and nitrogen oxide emissions are lower.
The collaboration between the shipyard and the manufacturer for automated access and maintenance systems already began in May 2016 with the first successful test runs, which included a 4,045 TEU container ship from the Hapag-Lloyd shipping company. “Whilst the container vessel Quebec Express was docked at Blohm+Voss, the coating was fully removed, partially using the HTC system, and further maintenance work was conducted. This has led to a 7% reduction of the speed-loss of the vessel,” said Lutz Dyck, Fleet Director of the Hamburg shipping company.
During the current market launch phase, which runs until 31 December 2017, Blohm+Voss and Palfinger will be offering special conditions for customers interested in the Hull Treatment Carrier system.
