USA-based ship tank coating manufacturer Advanced Polymer Coatings  is increasing production after striking a new deal with British marine services provider James Fisher and Sons plc.

The deal will see Ohio-headquartered APC supply its MarineLINE tank coating to the SIR JAMES FISHER a new LNG powered dual-fuel 6,000-dwt chemical tanker the company is building at China Merchants Jinling Shipyard in Yangzhou. The ship is the first of two James Fisher is building at the yard the second ship will be named the LADY MARIA FISHER.

APC said it will begin the project in June and complete it by the autumn. The coating application will be led by APC’s Shanghai-based China office, with an experienced inspection and heat cure team as well as APC’s head office in Avon near Cleveland.

“APC is delighted to win this work with James Fisher,” said He Liangxing APC’s China manager.“We have a good working relationship with the shipyard, having applied MarineLINE there before. We will apply MarineLINE to the ship’s cargo tanks and provide comprehensive application inspection and heat curing services.”

James Fisher and Sons plc said it expects to take delivery of the vessel in late 2022. The vessel is the first of two LNG-powered chemical tankers the company is building at the China Merchants Jinling Shipyard.

APC Global Marine Manager, Captain Onur Yildirim, said China is a key market for APC.

“Over the last two decades, we have coated and repaired a vast range of different chemical tankers in shipyards across China,” he said. “We are very pleased to continue to work with a company of the pedigree of James Fisher and believe the quality of MarineLINE and its broad range of benefits helped us win the work.”

The James Fisher deal marks a busy period in China for APC. As the project begins, APC is also starting to apply MarineLINE on a fleet of 50,000 DWT medium-range tankers at the New Times Shipbuilding Co Ltd in Jingjiang City. The vessels are owned by China’s Shandong Shipping and chartered by Shell as part of its Shell Project Solar programme. This deal follows the successful completion of an earlier contract with Shandong for APC to apply MarineLINE to eight new 50,000 DWT MR product/chemical tankers for Shell’s Project Solar programme.