Offshore assets such as drilling rigs, production platforms, and wind turbines present challenges for corrosion prevention maintenance. The primary defense against atmospheric corrosion on structural steel in offshore saltwater environments is a protective coating system.
Several factors cause protective coatings to degrade rapidly: besides wearing and damage encountered in installation and use, ultraviolet light breaks down the organic resins and corrosive seawater causes under creep at any breaks in the coating. Maintenance coating for offshore atmospheric systems can therefore be necessary as early as the second year.