Advanced Polymer Coatings (APC) has carried out a mid-life recoating program on six Ardmore Shipping product and chemical tankers, which is delivering large-scale operational advantages.

Mid-life recoating allows owners to reset coating condition, extend service life, and fundamentally change a tanker’s trading capability – without the capital expenditure associated with a new fleet.

Ardmore’s vessels have been recoated with APC’s high-performance MarineLINE coating system, and the Ireland-based tanker operator is now reaping the benefits of measurable gains in efficiency, emissions performance, and trading flexibility.

MarineLINE is a heat-cured polymer coating designed to form a tightly bonded, non-porous lining with exceptionally low permeability.

The APC recoating program was carried out at Chengxi Shipyard in China.

The recoated vessels are two South Korean-built 37,764 DWT D Class tankers: ARDMORE DEFENDER and ARDMORE DAUNTLESS, and four Japanese-built C Class vessels: the 25,217 DWT ARDMORE CHEYANNE, the 25,215 DWT ARDMORE CHEROKEE, the 25,233 DWT ARDMORE CHINOOK, and the 25,211 DWT ARDMORE CHIPPEWA.

MarineLINE has been installed on approximately 700 vessels worldwide. In terms of lifetime performance, for high-specification chemicals, MarineLINE typically achieves a service life of seven to ten years, while in clean petroleum product trades, some installations have exceeded 20 years.

Peter Stoyles, Global Marine Sales Manager at APC, said, “We are often brought in because existing coatings are struggling to cope with aggressive cargoes such as methanol and FFA. Owners have missed spot trades because cleaning and ventilation have taken too long, or they simply couldn’t prepare the tanks in time. Once fully cured, the lining does not allow cargo molecules to permeate the surface.”