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Environmental Issues Top Marine Coatings Slate

Thursday, October 7, 2010

Antifouling technologies and growing global efforts to reduce greenhouse gases from ship emissions will be high on the agenda at the 3rd Global Marine Coatings Forum in November.

The forum, held every other year, will meet Nov. 2-4 in Singapore.

The event was developed by the International Paint and Printing Ink Council, an NGO founded in 1992 to focus on the global implications of coatings issues. The American Coatings Association, the U.S. paint manufacturers’ group, is currently serving as IPPIC Secretariat.

Global Perspectives

“Since marine shipping is inherently global, we needed a mechanism for the industry to get together to discuss regulatory and other issues,” said John Hopewell, IPPIC Secretariat.

Launched in Tokyo in 2006, the event provides a forum for an international exchange of views on the future of the industry and the impact of increasing global safety, health and environmental regulations.

This year, Hopewell said, much of the focus is certain to be on energy-efficiency measures being developed by the International Maritime Organization’s  Marine Environment Protection Committee, which met last week in London.

The MEPC proposals include making mandatory the now-voluntary Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI) and Ship Energy Efficiency Management Plan (SEEMP) for new ships. The United States favors the initiatives. However, opponents include China, which will soon become the world’s biggest shipbuilder.

Program Topics

Presentations at the Forum are scheduled to include:

• Translocation of Invasive Species: John Lewis, of ES Link Services, will discuss the IMO’s Draft Guideline to Preventing the Spread of Invasive Species and its impact on coatings companies and ship owners.

• Implementation of the Antifouling Systems Treaty

• Future Antifouling Technologies

• Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Ships

• ISO Risk Assessment for Antifouling Coatings

• Product Stewardship and Sustainability in Marine Coatings

• IMO Performance Standard for Protective Coatings (PSPC)

• Marine Coatings and Ship Building Issues Specific to China

Sponsors and Contacts

This year’s forum is sponsored by Janssen Preservation and Material Protection, Dow Microbial Control, Lanxess, International Paint and American Chemet Corp.

Although all of the sponsors are manufacturers, that is not always the case, said Hopewell. The last Forum’s sponsors were all fabricators. Although the last Forum drew only about 50 attendees, they represented 20 countries.

For more information, contact Hopewell, IPPIC Secretariat, at jhopewell@paint.org or visit ACA’s website at www.paint.org.