Danish company Hempel showcased its new SeamFlow weld fairing system for ship hulls for the first time at the Sea Asia exhibition in Singapore recently. The company says the technology can reduce vessel fuel consumption by up to 2.5% and help owners and operators meet emission reduction targets.
According to Hempel the patented SeamFlow system is a relatively simple way to reduce costs and meet environmental targets, without extending drydock time. After drydocking Hempel can use out-of-dock data to calculate fuel savings impact, helping to quantify savings delivered to customers.
SeamFlow is a complete system of coating, application tools and dedicated services, designed to reduce the friction created as a ship’s hull sails through water. By smoothing the welding seams created when the steel sheets of a ship’s hull meet, friction can be significantly reduced, it points out.
A ship’s hull can have around 5 km of weld seams, and although the welds protrude by only 3-9 mm, their dragging effect on a vessel’s operation adds up to a significant amount.
SeamFlow is applied during routine drydocking after the hull has been coated with one coat of anti-corrosive primer. Two SeamFlow applicator teams then apply the modified epoxy using specially developed equipment to the welding seams. After 10-12 hours the specialised epoxy coating will be dry and ready for the final tie-coat and top-coat as usual. Hempel also offers in-service performance monitoring to help quantify the customers’ return on investment.
