Internal coating using APC's MarineLine®.

More and more shipowners are choosing MarineLine® as the cargo tank lining of choice, according to Advanced Polymer Coatings (APC) boss Donald Keehan. And the Avon, Ohio-based company now has a formidable forward book of cargo tank business extending years ahead.

The company claims that is technology offers significantly greater protection than other coatings and tests have shown that its properties of non-absorption render it superior even to stainless steel, thereby offering substantial first-cost savings. Keehan explains that APC is a polymers company first and foremost and not a coatings manufacturer. And the company's MarineLine® is based on a sophisticated polymer technology which facilities the shipment of almost every conceivable cargo - ranging from aggressive chemicals to vegetable oils, mineral oils and even wine and French cognac!

It certainly seems that MarineLine® is catching the attention of a number of owners. Having announced that APC had signed up to coat its hundredth ship with MarineLine® at last year's SMM in Hamburg, it now appears that the company will cross the 200-ship threshold later this year. The first 100 vessels were coated over a timeframe lasting 12 years -- the second hundred are taking just 12 months. The story must be a convincing one.

Keehan explains that the a truly effective tank coating, suitable for all IMO cargoes, must be capable of preventing all absorption because this is what causes the risk of cargo contamination. Tanks therefore require extensive cleaning and the use of valuable labour and time resources. Ultimately, ships themselves risk delay in switching between cargoes.

MarineLine® is a polymer coating with a high degree of cross-linking and there a very powerful resistance to absorption.