Marine coatings specialist – KCC is using a solvent-free coating – applied on Hyundai Heavy Industries’ 325,000-ton very large ore carrier (VLOC). The VLOC is built by Hyundai Heavy Industries for Polaris Shipping.
The solvent-free coating is capable of lowering volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions thus prevent air and environmental pollution. The solvent-free coating is also safe to use indoors as it reduces hazards such as choking, explosions and fires. The coating also enhances the efficiency of shipbuilding by allowing users to create coatings of various thicknesses by coating an object only once.
South Korea’s Ministry of Environment last year announced a revision to the enforcement regulations of the Atmospheric Environment Conservation Act – that requires installation of air pollution prevention facilities or the use of eco-friendly solvent-free paints above a certain percentage, when painting a ship. Further the Korean government also aims to raise the percentage of solvent-free paints to 60 percent by 2024 from 20 percent in 2020. In such a scenario, KCC is confident that its eco-friendly solvent-free paints will be a standard at shipyards in the country.
More on marine coatings trends and developments will be discussed at CMT’s 20th Asia Coatings Markets .
