Deck refurbishment in record time

This summer, the flooring company Kärngolv AB installed a new deck covering on the Swedish naval vessel “Frej” with the help of Uzin products. A floor area of 300 m² on the multi-story icebreaker was refinished with 70 kg of UZIN PE 460 epoxy resin primer, six bags of UZIN Quartz Sand 0.8 and ten metric tons of UZIN NC 580 FusionTec leveling compound. In just one and a half days, the ship – built in 1975 and operating in the Baltic Sea – was ready to return to service. Personnel from Kärngolv AB and the Swedish Maritime Administration joined forces to complete the project.

As the Frej breaks through 1.2 m thick ice at a speed of three knots, regular refurbishment of its decks, equipment and machinery is essential. In recent years, its towing gear has been renewed, and the safety equipment and systems in the engine room have been upgraded. This year, it was time to resurface the decks. The challenge: The ship, which berthed in Luleå in the north of the Gulf of Bothnia, had to be ready for service again in the shortest possible time. Thomas Kärn, owner Kärngolv AB, was confident from the start of the project: “We have been using Uzin products for seven years now in our work with the Swedish Maritime Administration. They are suitable for use at sea because of their thermal insulation resistance – alone and as system – and their high compressive strength, among other things. Plus we were able to carry out the deck refurbishment on the Frej this year in under two days, as the UZIN NC 580 leveling compound dries ready for covering very quickly.”

Protected against moisture

First, UZIN PE 460 epoxy resin primer was applied to the icebreaker. In humid environments, it provides an effective barrier against moisture and ensures good wetting of the entire substrate. As well as being water and frost resistant, it has the advantage of reduced odor during application. On the ship, the primer also served as a binder for chemical-resistant leveling compounds in combination with UZIN Quartz Sand 0.8. The fire-dried quartz sand with grain size 0.3 – 0.8 mm provides consistency and gives a well-keyed bond surface. Both products – UZIN PE 460 and UZIN Quartz Sand 0.8 have been tested and certified for suitability by the International Maritime Organization (IMO). 

High load capacity and very rapid drying

The on-site team overcame the next logistical hurdle with ease: Using a crane, they hoisted ten tons of UZIN NC 580 leveling compound onto the ship. Personnel from Kärngolv AB and the Swedish Maritime Administration then transferred the product, which was pumped through a hose, to two stories. Once poured onto the floor, the self-leveling compound spread very quickly, forming a nearly tension free, fast drying layer suitable for heavy loads with a thickness of 20 mm. “Our premium leveling compound is ideal for floors that have to be used again in a very short time and also have to withstand high compressive loads. On the Frej icebreaker, the floor products must able to take at least two MPa, preferably even more,” explains Jörgen Sterner, Sales Representative North at Uzin. “We are very pleased that Kärngolv AB have placed their trust in us for a number of years and have used our products on numerous occasions for the refurbishment and maintenance of icebreakers and other Swedish Maritime Administration vessels.”