Italian owner Medimar has specified MarineLine for a 14,000 dwt newbuilding chemical tanker, the MT Sveva currently under construction at Cantiere Navale De Poli, and will have all 17 cargo tanks and two deck tanks lined.

This latest contract forms part of record growth in the sales and applications of its cargo tank lining system for chemical and products tankers.

The first six months of 1998 have seen sales soar well beyond the record results achieved in 1997.

MarineLinewas applied to the tanks of five vessels last year (total surface area nearly 100,000 sq m), compared with half this amount on three ships in 1996 and three ships of 30,000 sq m in 1995.

In the first six months of this year, APC has already supplied MarineLine for another five tankers - surface area over 70,000 sq m - with a further 13 vessels of 190,000 sq m contracted for coating during the following six months of this year.

"Further contracts may well be finalised over the next few months, for the remaining months of this year, 1999 and subsequent years," reports Don Keehan, Advanced Polymer Coatings' director of research, "with firm contracts or letters of intent already signed for 21 vessels next year, representing over 500,000 sq m of surface lining."

Up until the last quarter of 1997, MarineLine had only been used on in-service tankers, upgrading them for the transportation of more-aggressive, more-demanding chemical cargoes.

However, from December last year, MarineLine was selected for application to the internal surfaces of all cargo tanks of a series of five double-hull tanker newbuildings for LUKoil, the Russian group claiming to be the world's fourth largest oil production organisation.

"These newbuildings are the first ever new-construction tankers to have their cargo tanks protected with MarineLine from the very beginning of their operational life," states Mr. Keehan.

"This broke new ground for us, but we have since signed a further number of newbuilding tank contracts with other European owners, which will be constructed in shipyards around Europe and elsewhere," he reports.

These include one ship from vessel owner Medimar, two from Venture Ship Management, four from Buttner Shipping and five from Hansa Mare.

After initial industry scepticisim by the traditionally conservative chemical carrier market - which APC recognised would be a very tough market to break into - MarineLine is now "close to being the market leader for the lining of chemical tankers," according to Joseph Harrington, president, and chief operating office of Advanced Polymer Coatings.

Mr. Harrington suggests that the figures projected for 1999 are very conservative, stating: "Many of the owners are now lining 4,000 to 8,000 sq m as a prelude to coating all tanks on complete vessels and newbuilding projects. More importantly, we are now receiving two to three enquiries a week from owners, charterers and brokers about MarineLine opportunities, with a number of owners nearly ready to make decisions on our coating."

APC claimsMarineLine's popularity is a direct result of economic and operational benefits over its rivals.

The Ohio-headquartered company claims that side-by-side comparisons between the costs of building a chemical tanker equipped with stainless steel tanks, and one coated with its product come out heavily in its favour.

"Potential cost savings and improved earnings to the chemical and products tanker industry run into multi-millions of dollars," explains Mr. Harrington. "As already illustrated to our increasing number of customers, this is achieved through reduced capital costs in newbuildings, with MarineLine-coated tanks in place of stainless steel tanks, plus greater versatility of tanker performance, by the coating's ability to handle the widest range of more aggressive cargoes."

The unique, cross-linked 'aerospace' polymer structure of MarineLine is engineered to provide improved protection against corrosion and contamination by total prevention of cargo permeation of the coating.

MarineLine is said to provide effective, long-term resistance against all solvents and 98% of all chemicals. These include Methanol, MTBE, Methylene Chloride, 98% Sulphuric Acid, EDC, Sodium Hydroxide and even liquid sulphur.

Commenting on the system's application to one of their chemical tankers in 1993, a Norwegian ship manager stated that "when properly cured, MarineLine is the best product on the market."