Category: Upcoming Events

In October 2011 the cargo ship Rena ran aground on the Astrolabe reef 15 miles off the coast of Port of Tauranga, New Zealand. This ships grounding created one of the worst environmental maritime disasters in New Zealand history.

1300 tonnes of heavy fuel oil and 1700 containers have to be removed. To remove the containers ‘PB Seatow’ set up two large crawler cranes on a large barge that could be moved in close around the shallow waters of the wreck. These cranes would then lift the containers off the wreck and on to a waiting ship to be transported back to Tauranga. This operation would take somewhere between 6 months to 2 years and during this time the two cranes would be exposed to the harse salt water conditions and corrosion.

‘Independent Stevedoring Ltd ‘operate at the ‘Port of Tauranga’ loading and unloading cargo from the busy container ships. Part of this work is to load logs onto the ships with a wire rope and spreader system. Some of the ropes are left around the cargo to allow easier removal when they reach their final destination. The ropes and twitches are then shipped back as deck cargo to NZ and rust during transit.Wire ropes rust on the inner strands and twitches also freeze solid because of the rust and have to be thrown away.

‘Prolan’ was commissioned to solve major rust corrosion problems at the ‘Tauranga bridge marina -NZ’, where the ends of the bolts holding the marina walkway to the pontoons were rusting away after a 5yr period. Maintenance of approximately 50000 fittings on the piers became a major issue because of the time wasted trying to remove the seized nuts. The rate at which the corrosion occurred also highlighted the short lifespan that could be expected from the original system. Eventually the nut would rust completely away allowing the pontoon to break free and become unsafe

Quad bikes are an essential part of the New Zealand dairy farmer’s modern farming world. The corrosive nature of the cow manure on the farms causes the framework of the quad bike to rust out. Some bikes are treated with a diesel and oil mixture, however this evaporates off and breaks down in approximately 3 months. Most frames rust through on the front steering wishbone where the muck has built up over the top, and the owner is therefore unaware what is happening underneath or the safety issues about to present themselves.When the wishbone finally gives way all steering is lost and the bike is off over a bank or into a drain.

‘Spat Supplies’ are one of the few companies in the world who collect wild ‘Green- lipped Mussel Spat’ off the coast of ‘New Zealand’. To do this they use large loaders and drive these completely into the surf to collect the spat. This all has to be done with the utmost urgency when the tides, weather patterns and winds are all in the correct alignment. As a result the starter motors on the loaders fill with salt water which destroys the wiring and bearings inside the starter. These starters then have to be replaced after collecting the spat, as the old one is dysfunctional and thrown away.

Solution

• Remove and dis-assemble the starter before it enters the surf. Coat the inside of the starter liberally with ‘Prolan Heavy grade spray’ and then reassemble.
• Because the Prolan is non-conductive to 70 000 volts there are no electrical issues after applying the coating.
• ‘Prolan’ is a natural barrier and therefore creates an environmentally friendly solution.

Results

• The starter continued functioning even when it was full of salt water!!
• These starter motors often give trouble during spat collection and are then a throw away item. There was no lost time due to a faulty starter.
• The starter motor on the loader worked fine during the collection of the mussel spat in the surf and for days afterwards. The only reason it was removed was because it had become sluggish.
• Cost savings as starters have a longer life.

Masters Panelbeaters

9 Allen Bell Dve
Kaitaia
Far North
ph 094080711

From: myra masters [mailto:myramasters@yahoo.co.nz]
Sent: Tuesday, 5 July 2011 9:52 p.m.
To: info@prolan.co.nz
Subject: Prolan vs Others

Hi there Murray. Sorry about time delay in getting these images to you, on the lower RH corner on rusted plate is your prolan, next to it on left is fisholene (which has disappeared),& on the left of that is Altex Ripo (which is showing a lot of rust breaking through) . This test plate as I call it has been left outside for 20 months in all weather. To be fair a protective overcoat of paint or under seal would have enhanced their endurance. The prolan strip is just showing a few rust spots coming through, but is showing better protection than the other two. Great product.

Regards Graham Masters

See the Prolan Team at the NZMCA Hamilton Mystery Creek – on the 23-25th September 2022. Site Number 62 Main Pavillion – Look forward to showing how ” Sheep n a Can” protects your vehicle chassis and improves COF checkouts. “Real products, Real People, Real Performance”.