Cutting-edge coatings ensure longevity and smooth sailing for MV Mark W. Barker — the first new American-built Great Lakes freighter built in nearly four decades
The Motor Vessel Mark W. Barker – the first Great Lakes freighter built on the Great Lakes in nearly four decades, and The Interlake Steamship Company’s first new build since 1981 – represents a renewal in regional shipping. The vessel also serves as a showcase of advanced coatings that shield the ship from the harsh elements it encounters while navigating a vast network of inland seas and rivers – safeguarding its longevity for years to come.
Measuring 639 feet long and 78 feet wide, the ship’s dimensions set it apart from the typical 1,000-foot-long freighters found on the Great Lakes (Figure 1). Built for The Interlake Steamship Company by Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, the bulk carrier was designed to navigate the sometimes narrow and winding rivers that feed the freshwater lakes, without compromising shipping capacity.
In fact, the self-unloading bulk carrier is competitive with larger vessels, sporting an impressive cargo capacity of 26,000 tons due to its unique design. The vessel’s square and flat cargo holds – diverging from conventional V-shaped angled bottoms (Figure 2)– feature sliding hatches that maximize available cubic space. Another noteworthy feature of the ship is the forward placement of the unloading boom, which provides greater flexibility for cargo operations in congested ports. This unique arrangement also enables the customized placement of the cargoes for its Great Lakes customers.
The vessel’s unique dimensions and design allow for the transport of a versatile range of cargoes, which informed specifiers on the appropriate coatings systems to use to protect the vessel and ensure durability.
Primarily built to haul salt, the M/V Mark W. Barker has transported bulk cargoes – such as iron ore pellet, limestone, taconite, coal and others – and break-bulk cargoes, including oversized items, such as steel bars and wind turbine parts, since launching in the summer of 2022 (Figure 3).
“This boat will continue to find unique cargoes that haven’t traditionally been moved in the past,” said Rick Hanning, fleet engineer of The Interlake Steamship Company, which operates 10 vessels on the Great Lakes and has headquarters in the Cleveland-area suburb of Middleburg Heights. “Its size and distinctive design give it a special ability to navigate rivers and ports – and its cargo hold is unlike any other in Great Lakes.”
Shielding the Ship
As the first self-propelled vessel built for the Great Lakes by an American company in four decades, the M/V Mark W. Barker required a coatings system as unique as it is. The Interlake Steamship Company created the ship’s coatings specification with the help of the product team at Sherwin-Williams Protective & Marine.
“We were sensitive to where we were having issues on other boats,” said Hanning. “It required deep thought for how protect this exceptional piece of engineering for its decades of service.”
To safeguard the ship’s underwater hull against the many hazards in and around the Great Lakes, the team landed on Sher-Glass® FF.
A high-performance glass flake-reinforced epoxy, the coating was chosen for its added impact and abrasion resistance, as well as improved durability, edge protection and resistance to corrosion in a wide range of environments.
“We wanted the hull to last as long as possible with minimal maintenance in future dry docks, and this product adds to the ship’s life expectancy,” said Hanning. “You never know what you might run into. Shipping on the Great Lakes can be a contact sport.”
In a controlled shipyard environment, applicators started with an SSPC-SP 10 blast before spraying the hull with two coats of Sher-Glass, at an average of 18 mils dry film thickness (DFT) per coat. Applied directly to steel, the coating eliminates the need for a separate primer, simplifying the coating process and saving time. Specifically formulated for immersion service, the coating uses pre-wetted glass flakes to ensure consistent mixing and application reliability to enable long-term exposure to liquids.
The hull of the M/V Mark W. Barker – named for the family-owned Interlake Steamship Company’s president and second-generation leader – has an unmistakable look, featuring the organization’s signature red.
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