Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1428470
maltatoday | SUNDAY • 14 NOVEMBER 2021 18 COMMERCIAL Early detection of corrosion in maritime industries to reduce costs and protect the environment Existing MeDirect Bank Malta clients get €50 for every new referral Development of Smart Nanostructured Layers for Sensing Corrosion in Aquatic Structures ONLINE PROJECT CLOSING EVENT Pullicino Orlando Jeffrey at MCST INDUSTRY structures corrosion in the global industry is an eco- nomic and environmental issue. In fact, regular corrosion check- ing is crucial to secure safety and expand lifetime in the ma- rine structures. As an example, traditional oil and gas, windmill and offshore solar farms are be- ing affected by corrosion equally which can result in catastrophic environmental impacts. Accord- ing to NACE International Insti- tute this issue costs the maritime industry between $50 and $80 billion yearly. To address this problem, in March 2018, the Project Coor- dinator Dr João Tedim, of the University of Aveiro, Portugal, and partners SINTEF Industry in Norway, and AquaBioTech Group in Malta, have been col- laborating on the MarTERA pro- ject "SMARTAQUA, Develop- ment of Smart Nanostructured Layers for Sensing Corrosion in Aquatic Structures". The project aimed to develop a sensing nan- olayer, incorporating smart ad- ditives combining colorimetric with magnetic detection, to be applied directly on steel struc- tures, to provide cost-effective, reliable means of detecting cor- rosion degradation, hence moni- toring the overall integrity of the structure. The Hon. Owen Bonnici, Min- ister for Equality, Research and Innovation participating in the online closing event said that: "What is particularly precious about this project is that it was undertaken through a consorti- um of three partners from three different European countries; Malta, Portugal and Norway, which results in priceless knowl- edge exchange. Over 90% of all goods entering or leaving Malta pass through our ports. Hence, the vital impor- tance of the sector is undeniable and investments in this sector are essential to ensure that the sec- tor continues evolving with the needs of today." The SMARTAQUA partners ran laboratory assays to test if the coatings produced were effec- tive in detecting corrosion. The University of Aveiro tested the coatings on a lab setting and the AquaBioTech Group tested the same coatings in the field. Both lab and field tests showed very promising results. The coating is serving its purpose and a colour change is observed on the coating when corrosion occurrs on steel substrates. After three years, the project has now concluded and AquaBi- oTech Group and Malta Coun- cil for Science and Technology organised an online event on Wednesday, November 3rd . The topics discussed at the occasion were the importance of collab- orative innovation, outputs from the key researchers during the project life cycle and future inno- vations in aquaculture structures, offshore wind foundations, oil and gas structures and ship hulls. During his opening speech, Dr Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando- Ex- ecutive Chairman of the Malta Council for Science and Tech- nology - said that: "SMARTAQ- UA is one of the successful pro- jects that received funding from MCST, Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT) and the Re- search Council of Norway, as well as additional funding from the European Commission. Now that it has reached its maturity, MCST acknowledges that is has supported a remarkable project that focuses on developing a cor- rosion sensing technology that can be applied to various aquatic structures and ship hulls." He added that: "Safeguarding our seas is critical to securing the livelihoods of many industries that serve as pillars of the Maltese economy - fisheries, aquaculture, maritime transportation and tourism. MCST will continue to promote international collabo- ration in blue economy research to help capitalise on the results obtained through programmes, such as MarTERA, and continue developing local capacity in this sector." This project has received fund- ing from the Research Council of Norway (through the program of Petromaks II, project 284002), Foundation of Science and Tech- nology in Portugal and the Malta Council for Science and Technol- ogy via the MarTERA – ERA- NET Co-fund scheme of H2020 of the European Commission. MEDIRECT Bank Malta has launched a referral programme whereby existing customers can get Eur50 for every friend who signs up with the bank. New referred customers bene- fitting from this offer will also get Eur50 in their new bank ac- count. As part of this initiative, Me- Direct Malta clients who re- fer their family members or friends to the bank can receive up to a maximum of Eur500 for the first ten successful referrals using the unique referral code that is assigned to them. Existing clients can get their own unique referral code by logging in via MeDirect's mo- bile app or internet banking. One can then share that re- ferral code and, in turn, those friends interested in becom- ing a member of the MeDirect bank family would need to in- put this code during the simple and easy online onboarding process. No deposited amount is re- quired when opening a new account with MeDirect Bank Malta to benefit from this of- fer. There is no catch and no hidden charges. Once the application to be- come a customer is complete, both the customer who re- ferred a friend as well as the new MeDirect Bank Malta cus- tomer will receive Eur50 each in their accounts. "We believe that this incen- tive will help grow our family of customers who are enjoy- ing digital banking from the comfort of their home through MeDirect's online banking and mobile app. We believe we of- fer the best customer service in Malta when it comes to bank- ing and investing and we are looking forward to welcoming new customers," said Ingrid Micallef, Senior Manager – Products and Marketing at Me- Direct Bank Malta. In addition to these benefits, new customers can enjoy su- perior rates and will not incur into account or maintenance fees. Through MeDirect Bank Malta, one can save and in- vest money as well as take out a home loan. MeDirect Bank Malta offers also wealth man- agement solutions. For more information, as well as, the terms and conditions of this offer visit https://pro- mo.medirect.com.mt/refer-a- friend/, call 2557 4400 or send an email to customerservice@ medirect.com.mt.