Eco-friendly one-coat ballast water tank coating gains AiP

Certification award ceremony for eco-friendly 1 Coat System (AIP) held at the Korean Register of Shipping

A single coat, solvent-free coating system for ships’ water ballast tanks developed by Korean shipbuilders Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) and Hyundai Mipo Dockyard (HMD) has received Approval in Principal (AiP) from both the Korean Register of Shipping (KR) and the Liberian Registry.

The “eco-friendly one coat system” has been verified for excellent coating quality when compared to the traditional double coating system by passing the quality standards specified for alternative specifications in the International Maritime Organization (IMO) PSPC regulations.

The issuance of the AiP by the classification society and the flag state, is seen as a milestone in eco-friendly ship design that will benefit shipowners in terms of lower cost, better performance and compliance with international regulations.

An AiP award ceremony was held at KR headquarters in Busan, Korea on May 27, 2020. Those present included Oh Min Ahn of HHI, Yeong Jun Nam of HMD; Yean Tae Kim of KR; and Jung Sik Kim of Liberian Registry (Korea office).

Yean Tae Kim, Executive Vice President of KR, said, “We are very pleased to be working on this project with the Liberian Registry, which has long contributed to maritime safety and environmental protection, and Hyundai Heavy Industries and Hyundai Mipo Dockyard, which are leading global shipbuilding technology. This project will provide an opportunity to decisively enhance the prestige of the Korean shipbuilding industry by leading eco-friendly shipbuilding technology.”

Jung Sik Kim, Managing Director of the Liberian Registry in Korea, delivered a message from Alfonso Castillero, Chief Operating Officer of the Liberian Registry: “On behalf of the Liberian Registry, and our entire global team, I want to thank all stakeholders for making Liberia a part of this important project. We are proud to have been able to use our experienced technical in-house experts to work with HHI, HMD, and KR closely to reach this Approval in Principal.