Xiamen Minhua Shipping has specified a Steelpaint corrosion protection system for a trio of newbuild multi-purpose cargo ships building at Fujian Shipbuilding’s yards in China.

The order marks the Germany-based coatings specialist’s first newbuilding contract with a Chinese shipowner.

The first vessel in the series, the 12,000dwt Min Hua 9 delivered from the Fujian Hengsheng shipyard in June, is now operating with a Stelpant-PU-Zinc universal primer protecting steel cargo holds, hatch covers, decks, topsides and hatch coamings against corrosion.

The polyurethane and zinc-based primer will also protect sisterships Min Hua 15 and Min Hua 16, both of which are under construction at the Fujian Donghai Shipyard, with deliveries scheduled for December 2024 and November 2025.

Li Jianbin, Xiamen Minhua Shipping’s General Manager, said: “The operational profile of these multi-purpose cargo carriers required a long-lasting, fast-drying, and easy-to-apply primer that could be relied upon.  After experience with conventional epoxies failing to properly protect cargo holds against impact damage and corrosion, we found Stelpant-PU-Zinc to have better impact resistance. It is too early to confirm, but we expect the primer will reduce through-life coating repair and maintenance costs by about 50% compared to previous applications.”

With its high-solid formulation and finely meshed zinc pigments Stelpant-PU-Zinc can be applied in temperatures ranging from -5°C to +50°C, and with a relative humidity level as high as 98%.

For tank tops and lower stools/hoppers, Steelpaint recommends a film thickness of 2 x 80µm after grit blasting to Sa2.5, while other areas need only one 80µm coat before a 120µm application of a conventional topcoat epoxy.

Dmitry Gromilin, Steelpaint’s Chief Technician, said: “This contract represents a significant milestone for Steelpaint in China. While we have corrosion protection systems on a number of Chinese-built vessels, this is our first newbuilding specification for a Chinese shipowner.

The success of the first application aboard Min Hua 9 will help further establish our presence in China and open the door to more shipowners across the Asia-Pacific region.”

Compatible with most top-coats without the need of a tiecoat, the high zinc content of Stelpant-PU-Zinc provides cathodic protection and can be applied on the outer hull areas preventing corrosion damage. The zinc-rich primer can be easily recoated over the vessel’s lifetime, affording smart repair at dry-docking.

A Chinese bulk carrier operator is currently trialing Stelpant-PU-Zinc on a 100m² test patch in the cargo hold of one vessel. Another operator is also trialing the corrosion resistant coating on a ship’s hull (topside) and crane.