Japanese transportation giant MOL says that together with JFE Steel Corporation it has developed a corrosion-resistant steel plate, called JFE-Steel for Ship Inside Protection - for Oil Tankers.
The corrosion-resistant steel plate made from new material designed to limit the deterioration of cargo tanks inside crude oil tankers was produced at the end of a five-year research project.
MOL said in a statement that it plans to "fully adopt this new corrosion-resistant steel plate on bottom and upper plates of the cargo oil tanks of an MOL-operated very large crude carrier (VLCC) in November 2008. It said it will mark the first time in the world that such technologically advanced material has been used on the upper deck plate. MOL and JEF also plan to promote the effectiveness of this innovative material on a global scale.
Development of the corrosion-resistant steel plate comes amid talk at the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) on ways to improve corrosion protection by painting inside the cargo tanks of crude oil tankers. Japanese authorities, on the other hand, are said to have promoted the use of both corrosion-resistant steel and painting.
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