Glass flake polyester (GFP) coatings offer more than 30 years’ maintenance-free corrosion protection at the splash zone for offshore assets, according to a new independent report from classification society DNV.
The study shows that Baltoflake, a GFP solution developed by coatings manufacturer Jotun, provides decades of protection for offshore wind substructures and could reduce lifecycle costs by up to 50%. DNV inspected a section of jacket from a North Sea oil platform which was installed in 1972 and decommissioned in 2020. Jotun’s Baltoflake coating was applied to the platform in the late 1980s and, despite over 30 years’ exposure to the North Sea’s harsh environment, analysis revealed that the coating at the splash zone was intact, still smooth and showing no signs of delamination. The coating has glass flake materials incorporated into polyester to create structure that is 5–20 times more impermeable than resin alone. Furthermore, glass flake coatings have a corrosion resistance to a wide range of acids, alkalis, solvents and salt solutions.
