COSCO Shipping Container Ship Drag Reduction and Anti-Corrosion Project
A container ship under COSCO Shipping with a deadweight tonnage of 100,000 tons operates year-round on long-distance routes between Asia-Europe and Asia-America. During operation, the bottom of the ship experiences intense friction with seawater, resulting in significant hydrodynamic resistance and a sharp increase in fuel consumption. According to detailed operational data records, before any optimization measures were implemented, the fuel consumption for a single Asia-Europe voyage reached as high as 3,500 tons, imposing a heavy cost burden on the company. Moreover, the harsh marine environment with high-salinity seawater, humid and corrosive ion-rich air, and a wide variety of marine microorganisms continuously corrodes the ship's bottom and metal structures, leading to annual anti-corrosion maintenance costs of several million yuan, severely affecting the structural safety and expected service life of the ship.
A container ship under the COSCO Shipping flag, with a deadweight tonnage of 100,000 tons, operates year-round on long-distance routes between Asia-Europe and Asia-America. During operation, the ship's bottom is subjected to intense friction with seawater, resulting in significant hydrodynamic resistance and a sharp increase in fuel consumption. According to detailed operational data records, before any optimization measures were adopted, a single Asia-Europe voyage consumed as much as 3,500 tons of fuel, imposing a heavy cost burden on the company. Moreover, the harsh marine environment—with high-salinity seawater, humid and corrosive ion-rich air, and a wide variety of marine microorganisms—continuously corrodes the ship's bottom and metal hull structure. The annual anti-corrosion maintenance costs for the ship reach several million yuan, seriously affecting the structural safety and expected service life of the vessel.
After in-depth research, Guangzhou Hisense Meike New Materials Technology Co., Ltd. tailored a superhydrophobic nano-coating solution for this container ship. This coating uses Hisense Meike's unique biomimetic technology to precisely replicate the self-similar micro-nano structure of lotus leaf surfaces. On the ship's bottom and hull surfaces below the waterline, an elastic nano-coating with superhydrophobic and superoleophobic properties is constructed. The special micro-nano structure on the coating surface effectively traps and retains air, forming a stable air barrier layer that significantly reduces the friction coefficient between the hull and seawater, thereby greatly lowering hydrodynamic resistance. Additionally, Hisense Meike innovatively incorporated a controlled-release pyrithione copper antimicrobial agent into the primer layer. This antimicrobial agent efficiently kills various marine microorganisms at very low doses, preventing microbial attachment on the hull surface from the source and reducing extra resistance and corrosion risks caused by microbial fouling. Furthermore, when the metal hull surface contacts highly corrosive media, the air layer trapped by the superhydrophobic coating acts like a strong shield, effectively blocking corrosive agents from penetrating the metal substrate and providing excellent anti-corrosion performance.
During the project implementation phase, Hisense Meike dispatched a professional and skilled construction team to carry out the work strictly according to high-standard construction processes. First, the two components A and B of the primer were thoroughly mixed in precise proportions. Then, a German Schutzes 941 model high-volume low-pressure (HVLP) spray gun was used for multiple detailed and even spray applications, ensuring the dried primer coating thickness was accurately controlled between 35 and 40 microns. After waiting 20 to 30 minutes for the primer to fully dry, a new HVLP spray gun was used to apply the topcoat with the same multiple thin and even sprays, achieving a dried topcoat thickness of 5 to 6 microns. After all construction was completed, the ship underwent a rigorous one-month curing period before officially entering service. After continuous monitoring for a year, the ship's sailing resistance was significantly reduced, and the fuel consumption for a single Asia-Europe voyage decreased to 2,800 tons, a reduction of up to 20%, effectively saving the company substantial operating costs. Meanwhile, during regular maintenance inspections, it was found that the hull's corrosion condition had fundamentally improved. The originally required large-scale anti-corrosion maintenance twice a year could now be extended to once every 18 months, reducing maintenance costs by about 50%, greatly enhancing the ship's operational efficiency and service life.
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