Silversea Cruises — a luxury cruise liner with headquarters in Monaco — has begun implementing powerful permanent magnets as a part of their effort to moor passenger excursion boats against the larger vessel. The goal is to deploy Zodiac boats safely, quickly, and efficiently, and return them to the cruise ship in the same manner.  Because saltwater causes serious corrosive damage that can actually weaken a magnet’s strength, Silversea is implementing neodymium magnets housed in either stainless steel or epoxy. Each magnet has a pull force of 500 kilograms. While the magnets are very powerful, they are also fitted with a brake lever to make an immediate release from the hull of the ship possible.  These magnetic mooring points allow excursion boats to detach and then re-attach until they can relocate to a preferred place for passengers to disembark. The whole process of boat handling becomes faster and more efficient, as it eliminates the need to pass mooring lines back-and-forth between ship and excursion crew while trying to keep control over the floating Zodiac. Most important, it’s a much safer option for everyone involved.  Other Maritime Uses for Magnets Some other offshore uses for magnets include fastening anti-pollution booms or other equipment underwater with coated magnetic equipment. Magnetic patches have also been used in emergency situations to prevent sinking ships from taking on any more water. They seal off leaks and cracks and can be easily repositioned, if necessary. Again, these magnets would need to be encased in some sort of epoxy coating to prevent corrosion.  Another popular use for maritime magnets is salvaging. Shipwrecks happen more often than you might think, and debris can cause damage to the underwater ecosystem. It can also be worth a significant amount of money to the original ship owners upon retrieval. Divers can bring relatively small pieces of magnetic equipment (hand-held) with a strong enough pull force to attract and hold steel or other ferrous material. Another option is the use of larger barge ships with a crane attached to an industrial strength magnet.  Apex Magnets at Sea If you plan to use our magnets in an offshore application, consider viewing our epoxy-coated neodymium magnets. The covering will prevent long-term corrosion, allowing you to use your magnets safely and effectively. If you’d like to learn more about how one of our valued customers used Apex magnets creatively at sea, check out this blog!