South Korean shipbuilders Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) and Hyundai Mipo Dockyard (HMD) are making further progress in the field of the design and construction of eco-friendly vessels as they have acquired approval in principle (AiP) for the application of “solvent-free 1 coating system” for water ballast tanks from both the Korean Register of Shipping (KR) and the Liberian Registry.
An award ceremony in honor of the approval was held at KR headquarters in Busan, Korea on May 27, 2020.
As explained, the eco-friendly coating system has been verified for “excellent coating quality” when compared to the traditional double coating system by passing the standards for alternative specifications as specified in the International Maritime Organization (IMO) PSPC regulations.
Through the issuance of the AiP by the classification society and the flag state, the eco-friendly ship design has reached a new paradigm, one that will benefit ship owners in lower cost, better performance, and ensuring compliance with international regulations, the Liberian Registry said.
“This acquisition of AiP will be a foundation to secure competitiveness in the shipbuilding industry also following global eco-friendly trends, eventually maximize the satisfaction of our clients, ship owners,” Oh Min Ahn , Senior Vice President of HHI, commented.
“We can lay the groundwork for dramatically improving the shipbuilding process with the eco-friendly 1 coating system, which has an excellent protective coating performance. And we believe it will contribute to increase of coating productivity and enhance the coating quality in the near future,” Yeong Jun Nam, Executive Vice President of HMD, added.
“This project will provide an opportunity to decisively enhance the prestige of the Korean shipbuilding industry by leading eco-friendly shipbuilding technology,” Yean Tae Kim , Executive Vice President of KR, said.
The eco-friendly 1 coat system solvent free application is now approved and established due to the very close cooperation between the shipyards, the classification society, and the flag state. It is expected that eco-friendly ship coating will be the future go-to option for shipowners, providing significant savings.