The impact of proper weld seam preparation on coating life was evident to a Finnish crude oil tanker owner. As a result, it contracted a major Japanese shipyard, to build the Tempera crude oil tanker, with stringent surface preparation specifications. Specifications called for an SSPC-SP11 surface cleanliness with a uniform anchor pattern of no less than 25 microns (1-mil) on ballast tank weld seams and all erection joints. After field tests, Sponge Media was chosen to replace current hand-tooling based on the following criteria:
Consistent 25 + Micron(1-mil) profile - Silver Sponge Media TM exceeded the specification to an SSPC-SP11 creating a uniform, 40-75 micron (1-3mil) anchor pat- tern. Disc sanding preparation “scratched” the surface, creating uneven preparation patterns, while

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