Germany’s Steelpaint has successfully completed the application of a Stelpant corrosion-protection system to Min Hua 17, the latest in a series of newbuilding’s scheduled to enter service after the Lunar New Year.

The 12,000dwt multi-purpose cargo ship, the fourth vessel in the Xiamen Minhua Shipping fleet to use the polyurethane based zinc-rich primer, follows similar applications to Min Hua 9, Min Hua 15 and Min Hua 16. The Fujian Donghai Shipyard built all four vessels.

However, following the success of the first coating in the cargo holds of the 2024-delieverd Min Hua 9, the ship manager expanded the scope on subsequent ships to protect cargo holds, hatch covers and the main deck.

“When we first specified Steelpaint, we wanted to see how the coating would behave in service,” said Li Jianbin, General Manager of Xiamen Minhua Shipping. “What we observed was that the zinc primer remains intact when the topcoat is mechanically damaged, protecting the substrate from corrosion. The crew is better managing coating upkeep without repeated full-area touch-ups, which has reduced maintenance costs by about 50% compared to other types of coatings.”

Operational feedback was also gathered from an inspection of Min Hua 15 after one year of service carrying coal, general stores and containers.

Li Yinlong, head of Steelpaint’s operation in China, who attended the inspection, said the assessment reflected the crew’s direct experience.

“The vessel had been operating normally throughout the year,” he said. “When we inspected the coating during a scheduled port stay at in Lianyungang, the chief officer said he was satisfied with its condition. He also said routine maintenance work had been reduced and that repeated purchases of paint for touch-up work were no longer required.”

All four vessels in the series now have tank tops and lower stools/hoppers protected by two 80µm coats of Stelpant-PU-Zinc primer, followed by a 120µm application of a conventional topcoat epoxy. Other areas required only a single Stelpant primer coat.

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%.

Steelpaint Director Frank Müller said the project demonstrates how coating performance translates into specification decisions.

“In real trading conditions is exactly how coating performance should be evaluated,” he said. “The fact that each successive vessel has expanded the protected areas shows that the owner can see and quantify the benefit. For multi-purpose vessels, where coating damage is unavoidable, retaining primer integrity is critical to vessel safety and lifespan.”

Xiamen Minhua Shipping has confirmed that Stelpant will also be applied to a new series of 12,000 and 17,000 dwt multi-purpose cargo newbuildings.

Two other Chinese bulk carrier operators are currently trialling the corrosion protection system.