Abrasive material forms a major component for surface preparation in coating applications. Since blastin
g method developed in 1890s, abrasive materials and its application methods also significantly improve
d to enhance blasting efficiency. In general, steel grit and shot ball are being used predominantly as me
tallic abrasives. Garnet and coal slag are used as non-metallic abrasives. Each abrasive is selected and
applied in accordance with the work location and substrate material of structures to be coated. In this st
udy, we have evaluated a new artificial non-metallic abrasive (ferrochrome slag) which is a by-product fr
om ferrochrome production process for stainless steel. This evaluation also included the checking of sur
face cleanliness performance and coating quality based on international test methods and field trials. Fo
r verifying the cleanliness quality, various tests were conducted as per international standards (ISO 850
1-8503). Sea water immersion test (ISO 2812-2) and cyclic test (ISO 12944-9) were carried out to check
coating performance after blasting. The field test results indicates that all inspection and quality criteria o
f surface preparation were met as per international standards. Furthermore, coating performance test re
sults also showed this abrasive does not have any adverse effect on coating properties.

Subsea Global Solutions (SGS) it a worldwide provider for underwater ship repair and maintenance.
During a 2.5 year long extensive joint research and development program with DNV GL it was proven
that underwater wet welds meeting the class A requirements of AWS D3.6-Underwater Welding Code
can be produced. AWS D3.6 Class A welds are comparable to out of the water welded joints. Today,
SGS has approval from DNV GL and from ABS to perform permanent underwater wet weld repairs on
vessels and offshore installations.
This paper will discuss two applications of permanent underwater wet weld repairs performed on a
cruise ship and on a Floating Production Storage Offloading (FPSO) vessel. The paper is co-authored
by ABS, who will provide class opinion on underwater wet welds

Various polymeric coatings have been exposed to natural saltwater environments in Buzzard' s Bay, MA and at La Costa Island, FL for the last 18 years and 21 years respectively.   The coating systems were applied to 8 inch (20.32 cm) by 8 inch (20.32 cm) by 40 feet (12.19 m) A36 steel "H" pilings. The depth of the water ranged from 4 feet (1.22 m) to 8 feet (2.44 m). Periodic visual inspections have been conducted to evaluate the performance of the coating/ primer systems in the splash zone and in the immersed zone.      The coatings had windows to evaluate the under film corrosion attack by saltwater present near the Cape Cod canal. The coatings were evaluated according to ASTM visual standards at low tide. Results of the coating inspections and an evaluation of their effectiveness in preventing the corrosion of steel pilings in seawater will be presented.