New repair coating on harbour crane in India

German corrosion protection specialist Steelpaint has successfully completed a field trial of its new Stelcatec-L repair coating system on a Liebherr LHM 500 mobile harbour crane operated by ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel at Hazira Port, Surat, India.

The trial was conducted in severe C5 marine conditions characterised by high humidity and salinity, with support from Steelpaint's local partner Kaptel Overseas. The crane exhibited significant coating degradation and poor adhesion of intermediate and topcoat layers, requiring removal of damaged coatings and surface preparation to Sa2/St3 standards.

Areas taken back to bare steel received a two-coat application of Stelcatec-L primer and topcoat to a total dry film thickness of 280 microns. Where the original primer remained sound, the Stelcatec-L topcoat was applied directly over the existing surface after roughening, achieving a combined thickness of 130–140 microns.

“The purpose of the project was not simply to deliver advanced corrosion protection, but to validate how the Stelcatec-L system performs under real operating conditions in a severe marine environment, while minimising the lifetime remedial coatings costs for port cranes,” said Dmitry Gromilin, Technical Service manager at Steelpaint.

Highlighting one of the coating's key characteristics, Gromilin added: “One of the most striking performance characteristics is the system's rapid recoat capability. The second coat of Stelpant-1C-PU-Stelcatec-L-TC was applied just 25 minutes after the first, without any damage to the underlying layer.”

Post-application testing recorded an average dry film thickness of 208.6 microns, while pull-off adhesion tests returned results of 8.19 MPa and 8.62 MPa, indicating strong bonding performance.

The project included salinity testing, dry film thickness measurements and adhesion testing in accordance with recognised ISO standards. According to Steelpaint, the trial demonstrated the coating's suitability for crane maintenance projects where downtime and environmental exposure are major operational concerns.

“This was a practical repair project carried out under site conditions rather than a demonstration under controlled circumstances,” said Steelpaint director Frank Müller. “The work showed that where an existing system still has integrity, there can be value in targeted repair supported by inspection and testing instead of defaulting immediately to complete removal. Stelcatec-L simplifies application, shortens return-to-service timeframes and supports long-term infrastructure resilience in corrosive environments.”

The trial was carried out on the crane's right rear outrigger section and will continue to be monitored as part of Steelpaint's ongoing evaluation programme for heavy industrial and port infrastructure applications.