The loss of paint would have been caused by the action of the bows smashing through the tumultuous seas in the heavy weather experienced recently. Unfortunately, this exposes the light blue underneath, legacy of the previous Maersk livery. Also, bits get scraped off by the anchor chains etc. I think the problem stems from the limited time that was available to repaint the hulls during the annual drydock after the change of ownership and the necessity to accept the prevailing weather conditions at the time which were clearly not conducive to achieving perfect paint adhesion. The Dover and the Delft were not too bad but the Dunkerque lost a lot of paint around the bows almost immediately, see below. The only time that is available to paint over these bits is during the weekly saturday night layover which again depends on weather conditions and the length of the layover so it may be some time before the opportunity presents itself.
Much the same thing happened with the application of the vinyl offshore film transfers pursuant to the change of name and prior to repainting the hull at the next drydock. This photo shows the poor blokes doing the job on the Dunkerque. The hull was sweating and made the job very difficult and protracted. They worked through the day then the night and into the following day to get the job done.
