The rules for protective coatings of ballast water tanks have been tightened. In order to prevent corrosion and thus enhance ship safety, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) recently agreed on the new "Performance Standard for Protective Coatings" (PSPC) in ballast water tanks on newbuildings. For the shipbuilding industry the implementation poses a big challenge. What will be the consequences for shipyards, paint manufacturers, application companies, classification societies and owners? Do application methods need to be adjusted? How much documentation is necessary? These questions were discussed by more than 100 representatives of the maritime industry at an Exchange Forum "IMO Performance Standard for Protective Coatings" organized by Germanischer Lloyd.

For the shipping industry it is high time to pay attention to the new regulation which will enter into force on 1 July 2008. The new standard concerns dedicated seawater ballast tanks in all types of new ships with more than 500 GT and double-side skin spaces arranged in bulk carriers of 150 m in length and upwards contracted on or after this date. Regulation II-1/3.2 of the International Convention of the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) was amended accordingly. The ballast water tanks of tankers and bulk carriers built under the Common Structural Rules come under the new regulation already when contracted on or after 8 December 2006. According to the IMO standard the intention is to provide a target useful life of the coating for 15 years.

The decision initially caused mixed feelings amongst paint manufacturers, shipyards and owners. Who will guarantee for the requested "good condition" of the coating for such a long time-span? How much detail will need to be provided in the requested "verified inspection report"? The generation of the Coating Technical File will require additional work for yards, owners and suppliers alike. But to what extent will the new appliance and maintenance procedures increase shipbuilding costs and lengthen dock periods?

The GL First Class Exchange Forum was moderated by Daniel Engel, Germanischer Lloyd's Head of Competence Centre Materials and Products. In his opening presentation he informed about the class society's crucial role for the implementation of the new standard. Class societies are responsible for the certification of the coating system, qualification check and monitoring of the Coating Inspector as well as the review of reports and the Coating Technical File.

The PSPC is prescribed as mandatory within the scope of the Common Structural Rules of the International Association of Classification Societies (IACS). In order to guarantee a smooth implementation, IACS issued a Procedural Requirement (PR34). Maintenance and inspection remain the keys to prolong a ship's life - also in respect of coating conditions. Further action by IMO, Engel explained, therefore includes the development of a similar standard for void spaces as well as a standard for maintenance.

The practical challenges of the new standard will become observable in the years to come, when those ships concerned enter into construction. But yards have to gear up now, Joachim Becher of Aker Shipyards made clear in his presentation. He informed about the challenges the new standard poses to the shipyard. His conclusion: The new standard will help to prolong a ship's life, reduce maintenance and repair work as well as increase ship safety. Still, yards will have to face a considerable amount of extra work. More time will have to be invested, thus construction costs rise. Becher also suggested that new construction halls might be needed warranting the ideal climatic
conditions when applying the coating.

How pre-qualification tests will have to be performed in the future and which requirements will have to be met by paint was discussed by Dr Theo Reints Bok of Dutch company Sigma Coatings. He also posed the question whether coating inspectors will have to complete an extra certified qualification in the future. Dr Andreas Momber, representing surface protection specialist Muehlhan, proposed necessary amendments to application and documentation procedures.

Thorsten Lohmann, coating expert at Germanischer Lloyd, completed the list of speakers. He gave an overview of the inspection requirements and class adjustments. The society will offer a tool to generate the coating technical file. GL Pegasus, a program developed to perform thickness measurement reports will be used to file coating inspection reports in electronic form at the newbuilding stage and to provide also a possibility for the documentation of future maintenance activities. This will include an illustration of found coating conditions and detected corrosion related to the location in the ship. The GL tool will help therefore to focus on the hotspots during the ship's lifetime. The programme based on a 3D structural model supports all parts of a ship and provides interconnected tabular and graphical views.

Lohmann also informed about the possibility to train and certify coating inspectors at GL. The compact seminar developed especially for shipyard purposes focus on practical aspects concerning corrosion, coating systems, paint application and inspection procedures. The seminar will be equivalent to NACE and FROSIO as required by the IMO PSPC but much more specialized for the purposes of the typical maritime application and environment. The approval of the seminar by the flag states' administrations is under way. The first course is scheduled 16 - 22 September 2007.

As outlined in the speeches, protective coating systems applied in ballast water tanks need to be type approved following an adjusted testing procedure described in the IMO PSPC. At the moment, rather limited testing possibilities are available world wide. However, type tested products are needed by the industry. Accordingly, the listeners were informed that Germanischer Lloyd establishes a testing laboratory for the pre-qualification testing of coating systems followed by a GL type approval.

Current IMO legislation such as PSPC is also explained in Germanischer Lloyd's "IMO Pilot 2007". The comprehensive reference book produced annually offers an overview of all major changes in technical and operational requirements of IMO conventions since the year 2005. Also included: amendments to SOLAS concerning abandon ship drills with free-fall lifeboats, new concepts for the safety of passenger ships, new regulations regarding fire safety of cabin balconies and requirements for fuel tank protection.