Would a lime wash protect a ship's cargo hold when carrying sulphur?

In the dry bulk shipping industry, sulphur is known as an aggressively corrosive cargo. It reacts with moisture to form an acidic liquid that eats away at unprotected iron and steel. The consequences of this type of corrosion are costly, ranging from the spoilage of cargo to the degradation of a carrier’s structural integrity. Companies have lost entire ships due to irreparable damage caused by this type of corrosion.

You definitely want to prevent sulphur’s corrosive damage to untreated cargo holds. This is done through the application of an effective barrier. Traditionally, a lime wash has been applied to cargo holds that would be carrying sulphur. This was thought to provide a ‘good enough’ level of protection, but studies have shown it to be a very poor barrier, particularly against sulphur. Ultimately, lime wash has proven too soft to withstand the penetrating ability of sulphur.

For better cargo hold protection with regard to corrosive cargoes like salt and sulphur, we have specially designed a barrier solution that is superior to lime wash. RBM HoldBlock® works by creating a thin, flexible coating between the steel and the cargo, providing a notable increase in protection (This has been independently documented and can be seen here). Additionally, this protection also extends to staining capacity of greasy cargos like green delayed petcoke.

The use of RBM HoldBlock®, in combination with thorough cargo hold cleaning, will help protect your vessels from corrosive cargoes. Our barrier formulation is environmentally friendly, safe to use in occupied/covered areas and can be easily applied by the ship’s crew.

RBM HoldSolutions specializes in powerful, effective cargo hold protection and hold clearing formulations for bulk carriers. We are proud to offer the very best in environmentally friendly cleaning and barrier solutions. Give us a call at (604) 531-8333.