byAlma Abell

Ships are subjected to quite a few hazards over the course of their lifetimes. Whether on the move or waiting in the dock for their next trip, water alone holds plenty of reasons to be concerned. Particularly in the warm, salt-ridden waters of the southern seas, corrosion and paint blistering are distinct possibilities. With barnacles, muscles, bacteria, various forms of algae and other hitchhikers lurking everywhere, routine hull maintenance is vital to keeping a ship in service.

Simple cleaning and scraping are sometimes enough to remove all the buildup and marine life clinging to a ship’s surface, but over time, the need for a more in-depth approach becomes imminent. Ships sandblasting in Anderson SC removes those elements to reveal the unblemished metal underneath all those layers of scum, old paint, and protectant. Though these may sound like nothing more than cosmetic issues, they can actually cause quite a few complications.

On the most basic level, corrosion is a definitive factor. It starts with surface stains making the paint appear less-than-perfect, but it ultimately wears away at the ship itself. Aside from the paint job, all this buildup will eventually affect a ship’s speed, maneuverability and efficiency. Eventually, it’ll begin to eat through the body of the ship and compromise its structural integrity.

Ships Sandblasting in Anderson SC tends to be a complicated process. It can’t be performed just anywhere; in fact, the ship must be dry-docked in order to be stripped of its paint and layers of waterborne organisms. At the same time, just where sandblasting is allowed to take place is dictated by federal regulations. Paint scoured off the hull of a ship is considered to be an environmental hazard, so it must be well contained and properly disposed of.

Though plenty of people have small-scale sandblasting equipment at home, these tools aren’t capable of holding up to the demands of abrading an entire ship. Professional training is also key as untrained individuals could end up doing more damage to the ship than intended. Click here to learn more about the sandblasting process as well as its importance and the potential dangers involved.