In June 2022, two members of Solar Solve’s installation team travelled to Teesport, 40 miles south of Solar Solve’s South Shields factory on the River Tyne, to install new SOLASOLV® screens on two Svitzer tugs. What they found at the wheelhouse windows of the FIERY CROSS and PHOENIX CROSS was not something they had expected: four SOLASOLV® screens that had been installed in August 1993 and were still working.
Twenty-nine years of continuous commercial service on working tugs, in the demanding coastal and port environments of a major UK bulk terminal. And the vessel owner’s decision, on inspection, was that they did not need to be replaced.
It is one of the most compelling product longevity stories in the commercial marine window screen sector, and it happened on a pair of tugs within sight of the North Sea.
The Teesport Discovery — What the Team Found
Solar Solve’s team arrived at Teesport to install nine new SOLASAFE® screens at the wheelhouse windows of each vessel. During the installation, they noticed that four existing screens at other windows were clearly older than the new order. Out of curiosity, they took one down to check the identification label.
“Apparently, when the 9 new screens were ordered for each vessel, it was decided that the 4 existing screens, which will be 30 years old next year, were perfectly adequate and did not need to be replaced. Our guys took a photo with the old and new screens in use and the old ones do work well.”
— John Lightfoot MBE, Chairman, Solar Solve Marine
The label confirmed what the condition of the screen had suggested: the screen had been manufactured and installed in August 1993. It was Item 6 of 8 on the original order, a 1,060mm wide by 1,600mm drop screen with a left-hand side taper, ordered by Richard Dunston of Hessle. The inspection and check before despatch had been signed off by Julie Lightfoot, who is now Solar Solve’s Managing Director.
Both the FIERY CROSS and the PHOENIX CROSS had been built by Richard Dunston’s shipyard in Hessle. The yard closed in 1994, meaning these tugs were among the last vessels to leave it — and the screens fitted at launch were still working nearly three decades later.
What 29 Years of Service Life Demonstrates
The discovery at Teesport is not simply a good story. It is documented, verifiable evidence of product performance across a timeframe that no manufacturer’s guarantee covers and that very few products in commercial marine service can match.
|
What the Discovery Confirms |
Detail |
|---|---|
|
Material durability |
29 years of salt air, humidity, UV exposure, and daily deployment and retraction cycles on working tugs in a major port environment |
|
Quality of manufacture |
Screens inspected and checked before despatch in 1993 under the Solar Solve quality management system that has been independently audited every year since 1991 |
|
Crew care |
The Svitzer crews who have worked these tugs over three decades clearly maintained the screens correctly — a credit to the vessel operators as much as the manufacturer |
|
Lifecycle value |
The vessel owner assessed the 29-year-old screens and decided replacement was not necessary. The cost-per-year of ownership of these screens across their service life is exceptional. |
|
Provenance traceability |
The identification label survived 29 years on the vessel and provided full traceability back to the original order, shipyard, dimensions, and pre-despatch inspection |
The SOLASAFE® product guarantee runs to seven years. The screens found at Teesport had been in service for four times that period.
Svitzer and SOLASOLV® — A Long-Running Relationship
Svitzer is one of the world’s largest towage operators, providing port towage, terminal towage, and emergency response services across more than 30 countries. The company’s global fleet of tugs operates in some of the most demanding coastal and port environments on earth.
In the same period as the Teesport discovery, Solar Solve supplied fresh shipsets of SOLASAFE® screens with gold adhesive window film to three Svitzer tugs operating in Angola. The combination of a global fleet operator placing new orders in one location while discovering 29-year-old screens in perfect working order in another is a straightforward summary of what the SOLASOLV® product track record looks like in practice.
One team fitting new screens in Angola. Another team discovering 29-year-old screens still working in Teesport. The same product. The same South Shields factory. The same standard of manufacture since 1993.
SOLASOLV® Product Performance — What the Screens Provide
The SOLASOLV® screens discovered at Teesport were the same transparent anti-glare screens that Solar Solve manufactures today, providing the same core performance for the tug masters who rely on them:
|
Performance Measure |
Rating |
Operational Benefit for Tug Operations |
|---|---|---|
|
Solar glare reduction |
Up to 93% |
Eliminates wheelhouse glare during close-quarters manoeuvres in port approaches and towing operations |
|
Solar heat rejection |
Up to 87% |
Reduces wheelhouse temperature during long operational shifts in port and coastal environments |
|
UV light rejection |
Up to 99% |
Protects tug masters from cumulative UV exposure during extended operational hours |
|
Outward visibility |
Fully maintained |
Completely clear, undistorted view through the wheelhouse window at all times — essential during towing operations and port approaches |
SOLASOLV® screens are Type Approved by Lloyd’s Register, DNV, ABS, and RINA — the only marine anti-glare screen in the world to hold all four approvals simultaneously. Type Approval certificates are available to download from the Solar Solve downloads page.
The Manufacturing Quality Behind the Longevity
The 29-year service life of the Teesport screens did not happen by accident. It is the product of manufacturing decisions that Solar Solve has maintained consistently across five decades of production from its South Shields factory:
- Marine-grade screen material engineered to resist salt air, humidity, and UV degradation in coastal and port environments
- Every screen inspected and checked before despatch under the Solar Solve quality management system
- The Solar Solve Marine Quality Assured system has been in continuous independent operation since 1991 and is audited externally every year as part of the Type Approval renewal process
- ISO 9001 quality management certification maintained throughout the company’s manufacturing history
- Every screen manufactured to the specific dimensions of the window being supplied, with full traceability back to the original order through the identification label system
The same quality standards that produced the 1993 screens found at Teesport are applied to every screen that leaves the South Shields factory today. For more information on SOLASOLV® products for commercial vessel applications, visit the Solar Solve marine sector page. For case studies covering other vessel types and operators, visit the Solar Solve case studies page.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long do SOLASOLV® marine anti-glare screens last?
SOLASOLV® screens are manufactured to last well beyond the standard seven-year SOLASAFE® product guarantee. Solar Solve has documented cases of screens remaining in full working order after 29 years of continuous commercial service, including the screens discovered on Svitzer tugs FIERY CROSS and PHOENIX CROSS at Teesport in 2022, which had been installed in August 1993 and were still performing correctly.
What is the SOLASAFE® product guarantee?
SOLASAFE® cassette-mounted anti-glare screens carry a seven-year manufacturer’s guarantee from Solar Solve Marine. The documented service life of SOLASOLV® screens in commercial service significantly exceeds this guarantee period, as demonstrated by the 29-year-old screens found in working order on Svitzer tugs in 2022.
Does Svitzer use SOLASOLV® screens on its tugs?
Yes. Svitzer, one of the world’s largest towage operators, has placed multiple orders for SOLASOLV® screens across its global tug fleet, including vessels in Angola and at Teesport in the UK. The relationship demonstrates the reliability and longevity that has made SOLASOLV® the specification choice of major global fleet operators.
What makes SOLASOLV® screens last so long in commercial service?
SOLASOLV® screens are manufactured using marine-grade materials engineered to withstand coastal and offshore environments. The screen material resists salt air, UV degradation, humidity, and the mechanical wear from frequent deployment and retraction over decades of commercial service. Solar Solve’s independently audited quality management system, in continuous operation since 1991, ensures consistent manufacturing standards across every screen produced.
Are SOLASOLV® screens still working after 29 years?
Yes. In June 2022, Solar Solve’s installation team discovered four SOLASOLV® screens on Svitzer tugs FIERY CROSS and PHOENIX CROSS at Teesport that had been installed in August 1993 — 29 years earlier — and were still in full working order. The vessel owner decided they did not need to be replaced.
