• Multi-million dollar deal will see APC supply around 170,000 litres of its MarineLINE coating system for the 18,000 DWT tankers
• Environmental benefits drive deal with MarineLINE’s faster tank cleaning times cutting emissions
• MarineLINE now out performing conventional epoxy and zinc coatings enabling shippers to sequence aggressive chemicals quicker and easier between voyages

Ohio, USA manufacturer Advanced Polymer Coatings is to help UK ship owner Union Maritime meet environmental and efficiency targets with the signing of a new multi-million dollar deal to provide cargo tank coatings to 16 new 18,000 DWT chemical tankers.

The latest deal comes after sales of APC’s MarineLINE coating system grew by 42pc in 2023. The agreement with Union Maritime will see APC manufacture around 170,000 litres of MarineLINE at its factory in Avon near Cleveland. The MarineLINE will then be exported to two shipyards in China, Fujian Mawei Shipbuilding in Fuzhou which will build six of the vessels and Wuhu Shipyard, in Anhui Province which will build the remaining 10 tankers.  Construction started in early 2024 with the first delivery due later this year. APC’s China based team of engineers led by He Liangxing will support the application of the MarineLINE at the yards.

APC European sales manager Peter Stoyles said APC is delighted to strike the deal with a progressive ship owner like Union Maritime which is aiming to cut emissions from its fleet by 20pc by 2030 ahead of IMO targets.

Mr Stoyles said Union wants to trade flexibly, regularly switching high grade chemicals, such as ethanols, methanol and used cooking oil between voyages.

“MarineLINE makes cargo switching easy as tank washing is so much quicker,” he said “Plus there is an environmental benefit as MarineLINE can help shippers meet CII and SEEMP requirements because faster cleaning times cuts carbon emissions. This is because substantially less fuel is needed to power the generators or boilers to heat hot water. Not only does this cut emissions it also slashes the fuel bill and maximises vessel operating time.”

Mr Stoyles said MarineLINE is growing rapidly as it is offering ship owners greater versatility for the demands of the modern market which epoxy and zinc coatings cannot do.

“MarineLINE protects cargo tanks from more IMO approved coatings than any other coating,’ he said. “Zinc for example is not suited to alkaline and acidic cargos and absorbs more of the chemical into the coating. Therefore the length of time to gas free and clean zinc tanks takes much longer. But with MarineLINE due to its high resistance, high gloss finish and low absorbtion it is much faster to clean. This is giving MarineLINE a competitive edge in an evolving market that is demanding more of chemical tankers.”

To drive growth APC is doubling the size of its US factory near Cleveland in the heart of America’s rust belt with a multi-million dollar, eight figure expansion project. The new 20,000 sq ft factory will feature a new automated manufacturing system enabling faster and greater production capacity.

The factory will further enable APC to store more resin cutting costs of raw materials, while the new equipment provides the company with more production versatility freeing up manufacturing capacity for spot business.

APC has also launched a new digital platform this year for shipping line customers, to help seafarers and vessel operators manage chemical cargoes more safely.

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 to access the vital information operators require on a day-to-day basis for a MarineLINE coated vessel 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.

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 which have been coated with MarineLINE.

APC has around 12 per cent of the global chemical tanker coating market with some 700 ships worldwide coated with MarineLINE.