MARMC Seeks Innovative Industry Partners to Improve Shipboard Tank Maintenance

NORFOLK, VA, UNITED STATES

07.29.2022

Story by Danielle Lofton 

Mid-Atlantic Regional Maintenance Center (MARMC)

The Mid-Atlantic Regional Maintenance Center (MARMC) is looking for industry partners to help bring in new ideas and technology into the Navy to significantly improve the way we Fix Ships, specifically how we maintain tanks.

These partnerships would occur under a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA). A CRADA establishes the basis for collaboration between a Federal laboratory and a non-Federal party, in this case focused on improving the laboratory’s mission execution.

MARMC is the first Regional Maintenance Center (RMC) designated by the Office of Naval Research (ONR) as a Laboratory and Technical Activity for domestic Technology Transfer. This designation provides a unique opportunity to show how the current maintenance processes can be significantly improved upon by utilizing the current or prospective technology of industry partners.

The Navy needs to leverage every opportunity to improve surface ship maintenance. Shipboard tank inspection, preservation, and repair tends to be one of the principle drivers for both ship maintenance cost and duration. There are dozens, sometimes hundreds of shipboard tanks required to store things like fuel oil, lube oil, potable water, sewage, and gray water so the fleet’s ships can sustain extended operational periods away from port. Amphibious ships have tanks that either bring in or push out sea water to ballast the ship up or down to aid in supporting various small boat operations. Submarines take this to the next level and use tanks to submerge, surface, or control their depth underwater.

MARMC's ships are typically in service for 30 years or more, and over time the paint that protects the inside of these tanks fail due to corrosion. As the corrosion process starts, the coating system gets further separated from the substrate. This spreads the damage at an accelerated rate and can result in structural failure if not identified and corrected.

These structural issues have become more prevalent in older ships, requiring expensive and time consuming emergent maintenance. Even planned maintenance is often not completed on time due to the time it takes to empty, clean, certify safe for personnel to enter or work, and then complete the necessary repairs. Both the extensive clearing process and unexpected failures can impact a ship’s ability to conduct and support their assigned mission.

MARMC is looking for any solutions that could improve the speed and efficiency of tank inspections, improve the tank coating systems by providing a coating or metal type that better resisted corrosion, or streamlines structural repair processes that would improve MARMC’s overall ability to maintain their ships.

Industry partners are welcome to provide out-of-the-box ideas that would enable the completion of inspections and repairs of tanks to be more efficient or technology that would make repairs be required less frequently. These solutions could already have been proven in private industry but not yet approved for Navy use. The CRADA will facilitate and expedite the testing required to implement better ways of doing business throughout the Navy.

MARMC, a field activity under Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA), provides surface ship maintenance, management, and oversight of private sector maintenance and fleet technical assistance to ships in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States and provides support to the fifth and sixth Fleet Area of Responsibilities. They are also responsible for the floating dry-dock Dynamic (AFDL-6).

For all partnership inquiries, please direct correspondence to:
Steven Peterson
[e-mail]

• Date Taken: 07.29.2022
• Date Posted: 07.29.2022 13:08
• Story ID: 426117
• Location: NORFOLK, VA, US