NYK and Agua Japan Co. Ltd. (head office: Minato-ku, Tokyo; president: Motoki Toyama; website: http://www.aguajapan.co.jp) have jointly developed an innovative anti-rust agent to prevent iron and steel rust on vessels. The new agent, Marine Guard 100 (MG 100), has rust conversion properties, and paint containing the agent can be applied to metal surfaces.
The anti-rust efficacy of MG 100 was verified during two and half years of testing on the deck, ballast tank,* piping, and other metal surfaces of an oceangoing coal carrier. The coal carrier used for the test is owned by NYK and its ship manager is Hachiuma Steamship Co. Ltd. (head office: Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture; president: Takao Ito).
Conventionally, when crew members engage in paint maintenance on board, rust removal and cleaning is first required before anti-rust paint can be applied. However, removing red rust completely in the moist, saline conditions aboard oceangoing vessels is extremely difficult. MG 100 converts red rust into black rust and prevents corrosion as well as the generation of new rust. Consequently, the once arduous task of rust removal and cleaning by crew members is greatly reduced. Moreover, MG 100 is expected to directly contribute to reducing maintenance costs associated with metal rust.
NYK???s medium-term management plan, ???More Than Shipping 2018,??? encourages the creation of creative solutions such as this, and the NYK Group will continue to promote work efficiency and advance R&D activities in operations across the group to further enhance safety and performance.
* Ballast tank
An onboard compartment containing seawater as ballast to maintain the stability of a vessel.