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TECHNOLOGY - PROTECTIVE COATINGS
underwater hulls on vessels to offshore oil
platforms and other structures.
This combination of year-round application
and universal coating can save customers
time and money on anticorrosive protection.
For example, coating a ship’s hull with a
Hempadur Quattro specification instead of a
standard coating mix can decrease
application time by 24 hours at 0 deg C, the
company said.
Meeting ISO/PSPC regulations
The new IMO/PSPC rules call for 15-year
protection, which Hempel claimed its new
coating could meet. It also has a high solid
content, so applying it to many areas of a
structure or vessel limits the amount of
volatile organic compounds (VOCs) released
into the environment.
Using Hempadur Quattro instead of a
standard coating mix on the 250,000 sq m
ballast tanks of a large crude oil tanker, for
example, can reduce VOCs by at least four
tonnes, the paint manufacturer claimed.
Hempel is heavily involved with the
International Paint and Printing Ink Council
(IPPIC), which set up a PSPC working group
in April 2008. IPPIC achieved official NGO
status at the IMO in 2007 to represent the
coatings manufacturers.
In July 2008, this ballast tank standard
(PSPC) entered into force, which had a major
impact on the coatings industry, Hempel said.
The manufacturers claimed that the
requirements were ambiguous and needed
detailed guidelines for proper interpretation.
The test protocol was also deemed
ambiguous and the type approval became a
cumbersome process.
As for the tanker industry, the corrosion in
cargo tanks had been studied down the years.
A recent example was a report from the
European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA);
Double Hull Tankers; High Level of Experts
Report in 2005. This was issued following the
Erika and Prestige disasters.
EMSA’s report drew the conclusion that –
‘One of the most effective means for
preventing corrosion is to protect the hull
structure with an efficient coating system.’ It
recommended that coatings should be
provided for the underdeck and bottom areas
of the cargo tanks and the establishment of a
standard for coatings.
Since then, a draft test protocol has been
produced by the industry joint working group
for cargo tanks, which was established in
2006. The tests were presented to the joint
working group in October 2008 where it was
decided that further development work was
Hempel is offering a guarantee with its new coating, which varies according to the ship type.
required. At the DE 52 meeting held in
February 2009, it was decided that the IPPIC
initiative would lead the development and a
correspondence group was established.
The chairman of the IPPIC PSPC working
group, Hempel’s Ole Borring Soerensen
explained that since the DE 52 meeting, three
joint working groups were formed to establish
a proper basis for the COT test protocol.
Extensive tests were carried out on coatings,
surface preparations and laboratories to verify
the test protocol. Feedback was also obtained
from vessels in service.
These initiatives were possible due to the
contributions of all members of the working
groups including class societies, shipowners
(Intertanko and ICS), shipyards (CESS),
coating laboratories in Europe, Japan and
China, plus the IPPIC members themselves,
Soerensen said.
IPPIC has taken over as the driving force of
these initiatives and a test protocol for
coatings has been drafted, which will be
discussed by the correspondence group.
Soerensen explained that there were
discrepancies, especially with regards to the
combination of test temperature and the
composition of the model oil, which needed to
be resolved.
The next DE meeting (DE 53) is scheduled
for this February and it will be discussed at
the IMO MSC meetings scheduled for May
and October this year. The October meeting is
expected to adopt a performance standard for
all tankers above 5,000 dwt. “We need to have
a method to qualify the coating – a
performance standard,” Soerensen said. He
explained that the working groups were
working with a model liquid based upon a
defined oil.
Meanwhile, in May of this year, Hempel is
to move its manufacturing plant from
Denmark to Poland. However, the research
and development and some of the other
functions will remain just outside
Copenhagen.
TO
January/February 2010 TANKEROperator 39