MONDAY, MAY 6, 2024
Protective coatings manufacturer Advanced Polymer Coatings Inc. (Avon, Ohio) has agreed to coat the cargo tanks of two chemical tankers for Dubai-based shipping group Gulf Navigation Holding PJSC (GULFNAV).
APC stated that the work will take place at the IMC Shipyard in Zhoushan, China, with APC providing specialist on-the-ground guidance from its China-based engineering team.
According to the release, the deal will have APC apply the MarineLine tank coating system to the 45,951 DWT GULF DEFFI and the 45,907 DWT GULF JALMUDA, both built in 2009.
This agreement reportedly follows another coating project APC undertook in 2023 for GULFNAV on two of its other tankers, the 45,920 DWT GULF FANATIR and the 45,967 DWT GULF HUWAYLAT at the COSCO shipyard in Shanghai. Both of those vessels were built in South Korea in 2008.
APC Global Marine Manager Onur Yildirim stated that MarineLine’s track record, when compared with traditional zinc and epoxy coatings, were major factors in its choice as the preferred coating.
“We are delighted to extend our partnership with GULFNAV as it continues on its growth journey,” he said. “With these older vessels, GULFNAV wanted a more robust solution for handling a wide range of aggressive chemicals, including methanol, a solution that critically performs well over a long period in rough seas when the pressure exerted on the coatings is immense.
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Protective coatings manufacturer Advanced Polymer Coatings Inc. (Avon, Ohio) has agreed to coat the cargo tanks of two chemical tankers for Dubai-based shipping group Gulf Navigation Holding PJSC (GULFNAV). |
The tankers carry a number of chemicals, and the recoating work on all four vessels reportedly involves replacing the traditional zinc and epoxy coating with MarineLine.
“The cargo tank coatings are one of the most important elements of the vessel and are critical to ensuring the tanker can operate at full capacity, regularly unloading and loading cargoes without cross-contamination,” Yildirim added.
Additional Expansions
APC added in its release that demand for MarineLine has grown, and that revenue was up 42% in 2023, and 56% of revenue is already on order for 2024.
To drive growth, APC says that it plans to double the size of its factory near Cleveland. The multi-million dollar, eight-figure expansion project is reportedly an investment in APC’s future operations in marine and industrial sectors.
The expanded 20,000 square-foot factory is expected to contain a new automated manufacturing system for faster and greater production capacity. Additionally, the factory is expected to allow APC to store more resin, subsequently cutting the cost of raw materials.
The new equipment will reportedly provide the company with more production abilities, freeing up manufacturing capacity for spot business. APC also plans to deliver MarineLine in quantities of 55-gallon drums instead of paint cans.
APC has also reportedly launched a new digital platform for shipping line customers to help seafarers and vessel operators manage chemical cargoes more safely.
The new MarineLine Customer Care platform was reportedly built for shipping lines to better understand how to maintain APC’s MarineLine tank coating and to access information that operators need on a day-to-day basis for a MarineLine coated vessel and the cargo that it allows them to carry.
The platform is accessed through APC’s website and was created to address major pain points of cargo tank maintenance. The portal has information on over 2,000 chemicals and vessels across the globe that have been coated with MarineLine.
Editor's Note: This story was updated on May 10, 2024, to clairfy some of the project details.
Tagged categories: Advanced Polymer Coatings, Inc.; Antifoulants; Chemical resistance; Coating Application; Coating Materials; Coating Materials; Coatings; Corrosion; Corrosion protection; Epoxy; Marine; Marine; Marine Coatings; Paint application; Program/Project Management; Protective coatings; Recoating; Ships and vessels; Tanks and vessels
