Coastal environments are among the harshest for steel infrastructure. High humidity, constant salt spray, and fluctuating temperatures accelerate corrosion, leading to structural weakness, safety risks, and costly repairs. A major West African port authority faced this challenge across its terminal facilities, which included structural steel frames, cargo-handling cranes, and storage tanks.
With increasing cargo volumes and international shipping standards to meet, the port needed a durable corrosion protection solution to extend the service life of its assets, minimize downtime, and reduce long-term maintenance costs.
Severe marine environment causing advanced corrosion.
Ongoing operations meant minimal downtime could be afforded.
Need for coatings with international certification for maritime structures.
Difficulty in surface preparation due to heavy traffic and large equipment.
Prepcoat introduced a Total Steel Protection system, combining surface preparation, advanced epoxy primers, and polyurethane topcoats engineered for marine environments. The coating system was designed to:
Provide long-term resistance to salt spray and humidity.
Deliver high mechanical durability for loading operations.
Comply with international shipping and port authority standards.
Site Inspection & Testing – Steel surfaces were tested for corrosion rate and salt contamination.
Surface Preparation – Abrasive blasting to Sa 2.5 standard ensured proper adhesion.
Application – Multi-layer coating system applied:
Zinc-rich epoxy primer.
High-build epoxy intermediate.
UV-resistant polyurethane finish.
Quality Control – Coating thickness, adhesion, and curing times were verified at every stage.
Service life of port structures extended by 15–20 years with minimal maintenance.
Port authority achieved international compliance for marine asset protection.
Reduced need for frequent repainting, saving up to 30% in lifecycle costs.
Improved safety for cargo handling and crane operators.
Early corrosion intervention is far less costly than late-stage steel replacement.
High-performance coatings reduce not just corrosion, but also overall operational risks.
