Grit blasting of steel ship hulls in dry-dock is an established and successful
method. An operator can easily produce a wide range of results -- varying from a gentle
and rapid removal of marine growth and loose paint patches to an excellent "white metal"
finish suitable for immediate application of the primer coating -- by changing where he
stands relative to the hull, and how he sweeps the air-borne particles across the surface.
With such a procedure already in place in shipyards all over the world, why then did our
company decide to embark on this examination of whether or not water jets -- containing
neither additives nor abrasive particles -- could be a competitive replacement for the
existing technology? The primary reason is pollution, the major drawback to grit blasting.
