A New Preservation Protocol for Seawater Ballast Tanks in Naval Applications

The reality that a smaller force must continue to meet heavy overseas commitments clearly indicates that high maintenance, manpower intensive, and costly repair processes must continue to be improved. One of the most significant maintenance problems identified by the Fleet was the continual and costly requirement to overhaul the coating system in seawater ballast tanks. This paper reports on the research conducted in conjunction with the Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) to develop a seawater ballast tank preservation protocol which extends the current 5 to 7 year coating service life to one that is expected to last 20 years. The approach to develop the new preservation protocol is discussed, the critical elements of the new preservation protocol are described, and methodologies for the design of sacrificial cathodic protection system for seawater ballast tanks and for the detection of surface contamination are provided.