Epoxy Bilge
Paint
Problem: Cleaning and painting bilges is a
time-consuming, degrading job that has been a sailor de-motivator for years. In addition,
standard bilge paints are no longer considered to be EPA compliant.
Solution: During the past five years, new
environmentally friendly plural epoxy paints have been developed to coat bilges. MTTC, in
conjunction with CES, Inc., verified the installation process on two paint brands in two
engineering spaces on USS DETROIT. |
|
Benefits
Estimated Navy
Cost Avoidance:
Minimum annual:
$6,000 K
Minimum 15 Year:
$90,000 K
Fleet Impact: Nominally,
the periodicity of bilge painting will be extended from quarterly to at least every 5 -
10 years. This will result in huge savings in fleet maintenance expenditures and sailor
workload. It will practically eliminate one of the most undesirable shipboard jobs. |
Status:
Complete
U.S. Navy considers
the tests to be complete and satisfactory. A fleet advisory message and Technical Manual
change will be issued in the near future. In the interim, Navy is authorizing widespread
waivers and deviations for use of epoxy bilge paints.
Applications
Include:
All
Surface Ships
Nuclear
Submarines and Aircraft Carriers currently considering for mainspace applications. |
