Odfjell recoats tanks in three tankers with MarineLINE

Bow Trajectory

Avon, Ohio, headquartered specialty coatings manufacturer Advanced Polymer Coatings (APC) has signed a deal with Norway’s Odfjell Tankers to recoat tanks in three of its chemical tankers.

The work will see APC replacing the tanks’ zinc coating with its MarineLINE protective tank coating, with the recoating work set to get underway at the Chengxi Shipyard Co. Ltd in Jiangyin city, Jiangsu province, China in March 2024 and continue until July.

The 46,098 DWT Bow Elm will be the first tanker to undergo the work, with six of its 29 tanks receiving MarineLINE coating to replace zinc. This follows earlier recoating work carried out on the vessel by APC in 2021.

The 49,622 DWT Bow Trajectory will have eight of its 22 tanks converted from zinc to MarineLINE, while the 49,622 DWT Bow Trident will have all 22 of its tanks converted.

All three vessels were built in South Korea. Bow Elm was delivered in 2011 and the Trajectory and Trident in 2014.

Odfjell began its strategy of replacing zinc coating with MarineLINE in its older vessels in 2019 and has developed a strong working relationship with APC.

“Although some shipowners use zinc-lined carriers for methanol service, this strategy eliminates versatility in their operation, resulting in lost profits if the ship returns without any backhaul cargo after making its delivery. It really doesn’t add up commercially for them any longer,” says MarineLINE global customer care manager Stephen Jarvie.

“Zinc coatings also have high absorption characteristics, which can cause some cargo retention and lead to purity issues in subsequent cargoes, limiting backhauling and service,” notes Jarvie. “Owners and operators looking to maximize their operations can see the benefits of MarineLINE and the versatility to carry a greater range of cargoes that its use allows.”

MarineLine has been developed to give protection against thousands of highly aggressive chemicals and, as a result, protects cargo tanks from more IMO approved chemicals than any other coating on the market,

“MarineLINE offers a clear cleaning advantage to our customers, meaning they can turn their vessels around quickly and clean with less harsh chemicals, all while saving time and money. In a highly competitive environment these things really make a difference,” says APC’s VP of sales and marketing, Matt Sokol. “The latest contract with Odfjell is also another example of a much-valued customer returning for more work from us because they can clearly see the commercial benefits that we deliver for them.”

APC now has around a 12% share of the global chemical tanker coating market with some 700 ships worldwide coated with MarineLINE. Exports underpin APC’s growth with key markets including China, the Arabian Gulf, Croatia, and Turkey.

To cater to the growing demand for MarineLINE in shipyards in Asia, Europe and America, APC is currently doubling the size of its U.S. factory with a multi-million dollar, eight figure expansion project.

Construction work is underway and once open the new factory will extend the company’s R&D facilities and quadruple production capacity with a new automated manufacturing system.

The expanded plant is expected to begin operations in fourth quarter 2024. It represents APC’s biggest investment in its 27-year history.

APC has also invested in a new digital platform for customers to help vessel crews and vessel operators manage chemical cargoes with more safely. It has recently gone live.

The new MarineLINE Customer Care platform has been created to enable shipping lines to better understand how to maintain APC’s MarineLINE tank coating and the aggressive cargoes it enables them to carry.

The portal is the result of a year-long collaboration with some of the biggest chemical tanker operators in the world, including APC customer Bahri.

The platform is accessed via the APC website and is designed to tackle the primary pain points of cargo tank maintenance. The portal features details on more than 2,000 chemicals and the vessels worldwide that have been coated with MarineLINE.