Project Details
R.J. Forbes partnered with Carver Marine Steel Work to restore a 500-ton fully revolving crane mounted on a barge—the largest of its kind on the East Coast. The project involved comprehensive surface preparation and recoating of the crane’s boom and major components following strict specifications developed by Sherwin Williams on behalf of Weeks Marine. Our AMPP-trained crews executed a multi-phase restoration process that included thorough surface contamination removal, complete abrasive blasting to SSPC-SP6 standards, and application of a complete Sherwin Williams marine coating system designed for the harsh saltwater environment.
Project Challenge
The massive marine crane required restoration of its coating system to protect against the corrosive saltwater environment. The project presented significant logistical challenges due to the size and complexity of the components, requiring careful coordination for dismantling, moving, and reassembly. Critical to success was strict adherence to marine coating specifications, including proper surface preparation to remove all salt contamination—a step that if skipped would lead to premature corrosion under the new coating system. The project demanded precise timing and coordination between surface preparation, coating application, curing periods, and inspection phases to minimize downtime for this essential piece of marine equipment.
Project Solution
R.J. Forbes implemented a comprehensive restoration process beginning with thorough washing of all components to remove surface contamination, particularly salt deposits. Following contamination removal, our crews performed complete abrasive blasting to achieve SSPC-SP6 standards, removing all old coating and corrosion. We then applied a three-layer Sherwin Williams marine coating system specifically engineered for marine environments: Fast Clad® Zinc HS green zinc-rich primer (4.0 mils DFT), Seaguard® 5000 HS red intermediate coat (6.0 mils DFT), and Sher-Loxane® 800 white polyurethane topcoat (6.0 mils DFT). Our AMPP-trained crews’ expertise proved critical in managing the complex logistics of working with massive crane components, coordinating closely with the client to plan dismantling sequences, timing surface preparation and coating phases, managing cure times, and scheduling inspections to ensure the project was completed to specification.
