Bluewater Energy Services are one of the worlds premier operators of Floating Production and Storage Offshore vessels (FPSO’s). They have many years experience with the challenges of designing, constructing and operating these vessels. When constructing the Akoa Mizu, Bluewater selected thermal spray zinc coating for the top section of their flare boom to get a heat resistant coating. A thermal sprayed zinc coating will provide superior corrosion protection to the underlying steel while resisting the heat of the flare up to the melting point of the coating. The metalized zinc coating, unlike a paint system, will be able to expand and contract with the steel as it undergoes heating and cooling cycles. The lifetime of the metalized zinc coating will be the same as that of the vessel – in excess of 20 years, ensuring zero maintenance for the operator on the flare boom, traditionally a problem area for operators.

Bluewater selected MTM Metalizing to apply the metalized zinc coating as their equipment was most suited to yard application work. The high production rate allowed the entire top section of the flare boom to be coated in 12 hours. The extreme portability of the eq1uipment allowed spraying operations to be carried out from a cherry picker with the flare boom stood upright, the top section of the flare tower being more than 25m above the ground.