From Ships Big to Small, Ritec Marine Services Treat Them All!

Ritec Marine Services (RMS), the specialist marine glass renovation and protection arm of Dutch-based Ritec Services, proves no job is too big or small with their latest project.

RMS are renowned for applying the Ritec ClearShield Eco-System®, for the renovation, ‘non-stick’ protection and maintenance of glass, on cruise liners. For these large-scale projects, thousands of square metres of glass are treated to protect the surface from the harsh marine environment. But here we look towards the other end of the scale after the System was used on Mette Maria, a trailing suction hopper dredger (TSHD).

The job of TSHDs is to scoop up and remove sediment from the bottom of waterways such as canals. Canal dredging is an important part of waterway maintenance as sediment and other debris inevitably builds up, making them shallower, creating a problem for marine vessels. Additionally, the build-up can damage flora and fauna, water quality and land drainage.

RMS were commissioned by Het Anker Shipwindows to renovate and protect glass onboard Mette Maria. The glass was badly stained by saltwater and run-off from the aluminium frames over the years but the specialist renovation process removed all the existing contamination, bringing the glass back to new. The next stage was the application of Ritec ClearShield®, a unique liquid glass surface protective treatment, upgrading the surface to durable ‘non-stick’, easy-clean ClearShield Eco-Glass®. This means in the future, there will be significantly less build-up of dirt and other contaminants found in the marine environment. Maintenance is made simpler too, requiring less time, effort and water to clean.

Although just 19m² of glass was treated, this was surely one of the smaller applications carried out by RMS. However, it was still important the job was undertaken to uphold the clarity of the glass; if glass is severely contaminated, crew may have difficulty seeing out which could affect operational safety. Indeed, crew of Mette Maria were quick to praise the difference that the ClearShield Eco-System® made in terms of visual clarity and ease of maintenance.

So this project goes to show, no matter how much glass is onboard a marine vessel, Ritec’s ClearShield Eco-System® will always be beneficial!

For more information about Ritec Services, visit www.ritecservices.com.