US marine descaler Seascour strikes deal to supply historic Great Lakes vessel

(Posted on 09/09/25)

Florida headquartered maritime innovator Seascour has struck a second deal to supply its organic marine descaler product on one of the Great Lakes most famous vessels The Wilfred Sykes.

The iconic steam powered bulk freighter built in 1949 (see notes to editors), operated by Indiana based Central Marine Logistics, has just received its second application of Seascour the first organic descaler on the market and the first to receive the Environmental Protection Agency’s Safer Choice certification for outdoor use.

The job saw Seascour used to clean heat exchangers, including coils and internal workings successfully removing scale and remedying long-standing problems affecting its systems. The latest deal follows initial work by Seascour to flush an evaporator on the vessel which was carried out during a lay-up on Sturgeon Bay.

The Wilfred Sykes deal was secured by Seascour’s Great Lake distributor Archway Control, LP, based in Fort Madison, Iowa.

Archway Control owner Doug Abolt said: “We want to thank Central Marine Logistics for trusting us to work on the Sykes for a second time. We know they have been trying for 20 years to find a solution to the build-up of marine scale on the Sykes, using different chemicals and manual work.

“Seascour has given them the ideal solution. It can remove scale when other products can’t and the fact it is environmentally safe means you can push it back to the water which is a big issue on the Great Lakes. Because Seascour is organic it does not contribute to pollution or create dense algae blooms which plague the lakes. This makes Seascour a real innovation as other traditional chemical descaling products contribute to algae blooms by discharging hydrochloric and phosphoric acids.”

Seascour’s use on The Sykes is the latest in a series of deals secured as the company continues on its growth journey three years after founding.

Notable milestones have been made in the last year. These include seeing Seascour used successfully on a wide range of merchant, naval and recreational vessels across the US.

Seascour President Kelly Hendry says the descaling industry is ripe for disruption. “Seascour can end the era of caustic chemical cleaning,” she said. “The traditional methods of cleaning scale, and marine growth from heat exchangers, coolers, strainers, water desalination units and HVAC systems are notoriously expensive and damaging to equipment and the machinery and pipes around it. And the harmful chemical cleaners used are further dangerous to shipyard workers and harmful to the environment.

“Seascour can revolutionize descaling, one of the toughest most polluting jobs in a shipyard, making it fast, safe and easy.”

Ms Hendry, who runs the Gulf Marine shipyard in Tampa, brought Seascour into the wider Hendry Holdings Group in 2023 having spotted the invention created by former US Navy submariner turned chemist Patrick Baymont.

Seascour is further building a network of distributors across the US and now has six in place and is looking to appoint more agents worldwide.

Latest News

Industry warned battery fire awareness must catch up with changing onboard risks

The maritime industry is facing a rapidly changing fire risk on board vessels as electric vehicles and... Read more

Smart Ship Hub launches one of industry's lowest-cost vessel data loggers

Smart Ship Hub (SSH), the maritime intelligence and data collection platform, has launched one of the... Read more

75 Years young: Verstegen celebrates three quarters of a century of excellence

World leading manufacturer of rope operated mechanical grabs for the dry bulk industry, Verstegen Grijpers... Read more

LHM 600 supports evolving vessel demands at Cartagena terminal

A new operational reference point for Colombian ports. Compas has placed an LHM 600 into service... Read more

Ulstein Digital launches AI-powered MRV and NOx compliance tools

Ship operators face mounting pressure from environmental reporting, with crews and office staff spending... Read more

Partnership to deliver data-driven fleet insight primarily covers bulkers

Idwal, the global vessel assurance business, has partnered with Daiwa Kisen to deliver independent inspections... Read more

Berge Bulk trials new feedstock in a marine biofuel blend

Berge Lyngor, a 206,330 DWT Newcastlemax bulk carrier, owned and operated by Berge Bulk, has been bunkered... Read more

Collaboration on EU ETS and FuelEU Maritime compliance support

OceanScore and Anglo-Eastern Univan Group are working together to support compliance with the European... Read more

New interactive format will streamline passage planning for mariners

The UK Hydrographic Office (UKHO) has launched ADMIRALTY Digital Sailing Directions (ADSD), transforming... Read more

Damen announces expansion of Combi Freighter series

Damen Shipyards Group has announced the expansion of its successful Combi Freighter (CF) series. Based... Read more