Trusted corrosion protection for Queensferry Crossing, Scotland
The Queensferry Crossing is a stunning piece of modern engineering. Spanning the busy Forth Estuary near Edinburgh on the east coast of Scotland, it has a total length of 2.7 kilometres, making it the longest three-tower cable-stayed bridge in the world. The crossing’s road deck is made with over 35,000 tonnes of steel, that was manufactured in China and the UK and transported to Scotland by sea. With our coatings protecting four of the world’s ten largest cable-stayed bridges – the steel manufacturer Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industry Co., Ltd. (ZPMC) knew our coatings were ideal for the job.
We choose Hempel coatings because we know the paint and we know the service we can expect. The coatings have good and stable performance in corrosion protection, and the technical services are professional, precise and everywhere, providing great support to this project. We have worked with Hempel for many years, with great success.Kai Zhao, Project Manager, ZPMC
The challenge
The Queensferry Crossing project required close collaboration and coordination between teams on different sides of the world. The coatings specified needed to be tough enough to withstand impacts and exposure during the 7,700-kilometre journey, and robust enough to protect the bridge from the tough Scottish climate and coastal conditions for years to come.
All photographs are courtesy of Transport Scotland
The solution
Our coatings protecting some of the largest cable-stayed bridges in the world
We worked with both the steel manufacturer and the owner’s advisory engineering team in the UK during specification, to ensure the coating systems were up to the task. Our technical service teams worked at the steelyard in China and the construction site in the UK to oversee the application and ensure the coatings were applied accurately and efficiently.
Our customer, ZPMC is confident in the results and the construction company, FCBC Consortium are assured of reliable corrosion protection for this iconic crossing for many years to come.
At a glance
Contractor: Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industry Co., Ltd.
Coating system: Exterior: Hempadur Zinc 17360, Hempadur MIO
47950, Hempathane HS 55613, Interior: Hempadur ZP 47940, Bolted connections: Hempel’s Galvosil 15700
Total litres: 600,000+
Application: Airless spray
