Resolution MSC.244(83)

ADOPTION OF PERFORMANCE STANDARD FOR PROTECTIVE COATINGS FOR VOID SPACES ON BULK CARRIERS AND OIL TANKERS

(adopted on 5 October 2007)

 

 

THE MARITIME SAFETY COMMITTEE,

 

RECALLING Article 28(b) of the Convention on the International Maritime Organization concerning the functions of the Committee,

 

HAVING ADOPTED, by resolution MSC.215(82), the Performance standard for protective coatings for dedicated seawater ballast tanks in all types of ships and double-side skin spaces of bulk carriers and, by resolution MSC.216(82), amended SOLAS regulation II-1/3-2 to make the performance standard mandatory;

 

RECOGNIZING the need to also develop a performance standard for protective coatings for void spaces on bulk carriers and oil tankers,

 

HAVING CONSIDERED, at its eighty-third session, the proposed Performance standard for protective coatings for void spaces on bulk carriers and oil tankers,

 

1. ADOPTS the Performance standard for protective coatings for void spaces on bulk carriers and oil tankers, the text of which is set out in the Annex to the present resolution;

 

2. INVITES Member Governments to utilize the Performance standard when applying protective coatings to void spaces on bulk carriers and oil tankers.

 

Annex.

PERFORMANCE STANDARD FOR PROTECTIVE COATINGS FOR VOID SPACES ON BULK CARRIERS AND OIL TANKERS

 

1. PURPOSE

 

This Standard provides technical requirements for protective coatings for void spaces constructed of steel in bulk carriers and oil tankers.

 

2. DEFINITIONS

 

For the purpose of this Standard, the following definitions apply:

 

2.1 Dew point is the temperature at which air is saturated with moisture.

 

2.2 DFT is dry film thickness.

 

2.3 Dust is loose particle matter present on a surface prepared for painting, arising from blast-cleaning or other surface preparation processes, or resulting from the action of the environment.

 

2.4 Edge grinding is the treatment of edge before secondary surface preparation.

 

2.5 "GOOD" condition is the condition with minor spot rusting as defined in the Guidelines on the enhanced programme of inspections during surveys of bulk carriers and oil tankers (resolution A.744(18)).

 

2.6 Hard coating is a coating that chemically converts during its curing process or a non-convertible air drying coating which may be used for maintenance purposes. It can be either inorganic or organic.

 

2.7 NDFT is the nominal dry film thickness. 90/10 practice means that 90% of all thickness measurements should be greater than or equal to NDFT and none of the remaining 10% measurements should be below 0.9 x NDFT.

 

2.8 Primer coat is the first coat of the coating system applied in the shipyard after shop primer application.

 

2.9 Shop primer is the prefabrication primer coating applied to steel plates, often in automatic plants (and before the first coat of a coating system).

 

2.10 Stripe coating is painting of edges, welds, hard to reach areas, etc., to ensure good paint adhesion and proper paint thickness in critical areas.

 

2.11 Target useful life is the target value, in years, of the durability for which the coating system is designed.

 

2.12 Technical Data Sheet is paint manufacturers' Product Data Sheet which contains detailed technical instruction and information relevant to the coating and its application.

 

2.13 Totally enclosed space is a space which has no means of access and no ventilation.

 

2.14 Void space is an enclosed space below the bulkhead deck, within and forward of, the cargo area of oil tankers or the cargo length area of bulk carriers, excluding:

 

.1 a dedicated seawater ballast tank;

 

.2 a space for the carriage of cargo;

 

.3 a space for the storage of any substance (e.g., oil fuel, fresh water, provisions);

 

.4 a space for the installation of any machinery (e.g., cargo pump, ballast pump, bow thruster);

 

.5 any space in normal use by personnel; and

 

.6 a double-side skin space of bulk carriers of 150 m in length and upwards which shall comply with the Performance standard for dedicated seawater ballast tanks in all types of ships and double-side skin spaces of bulk carriers adopted by resolution MSC.215(82).

 

For the purpose of this regulation, "cargo area" and "cargo length area" are as defined in resolution A.744(18).

 

3. GENERAL PRINCIPLES

 

3.1 The ability of the coating system to reach its target useful life depends on the type of coating system, steel preparation, application and coating inspection and maintenance. All these aspects contribute to the good performance of the coating system.

 

3.2 Inspection of surface preparation and coating processes should be agreed upon between the shipowner, the shipyard and the coating manufacturer and presented to the Administration for review. Clear evidence of these inspections should be reported and be included in the Coating Technical File (CTF) (see paragraph 3.4).

 

3.3 When considering the standard provided in section 4, the following should be taken into account:

 

.1 it is essential that specifications, procedures and the various different steps in the coating application process (including, but not limited to, surface preparation) are strictly applied by the shipbuilder in order to prevent premature decay and/or deterioration of the coating system;

 

.2 the coating performance can be improved by adopting measures at the ship design stage such as reducing scallops, using rolled profiles, avoiding complex geometric configurations and ensuring that the structural configuration permits easy access for tools and to facilitate cleaning, drainage and drying of the space to be coated; and

 

.3 the coating performance standard provided in this resolution is based on the experience of manufacturers, shipyards and ship operators; it is not intended to exclude suitable alternative coating systems, providing a performance at least equivalent to that specified in this Standard is demonstrated. Acceptance criteria for alternative systems are provided in section 8.

 

3.4 Coating Technical File

 

3.4.1 Specification of the coating system applied to void spaces in bulk carriers and oil tankers, records of the shipyard's and shipowner's coating work, detailed criteria for coating selection, job specifications, inspection, maintenance and repair should be documented in the Coating Technical File (CTF), which should be reviewed by the Administration or an organization recognized by the Administration.

 

3.4.2 New construction stage

 

The Coating Technical File should contain at least the following items relating to this Standard and should be delivered by the shipyard at the new ship construction stage:

 

.1 copy of Statement of Compliance or Type Approval Certificate;

 

.2 copy of Technical Data Sheet, including:

 

.1 product name and identification mark and/or number;

 

.2 materials, components and composition of the coating system, colours;

 

.3 minimum and maximum dry film thickness;

 

.4 application methods, tools and/or machines;

 

.5 condition of surface to be coated (de-rusting grade, cleanness, profile, etc.); and

 

.6 environmental limitations (temperature and humidity);

 

.3 shipyard work records of coating application, including:

 

.1 applied actual space and area (in square metres) of each void space;

 

.2 applied coating system;

 

.3 time of coating, thickness, number of layers, etc.;

 

.4 ambient condition during coating; and

 

.5 method of surface preparation;

 

.4 procedures for inspection and repair of coating system during ship construction;

 

.5 coating log issued by the coating inspector, stating that the coating was applied in accordance with the specifications to the satisfaction of the coating supplier representative and specifying deviations from the specifications (example of daily log and non-conformity report, see annex 2);

 

.6 shipyard's verified inspection report, including:

 

.1 completion date of inspection;

 

.2 result of inspection;

 

.3 remarks (if given);

 

.4 inspector signature; and

 

.7 procedures for in-service maintenance and repair of coating system.

 

3.4.3 Maintenance, repair and partial re-coating

 

Maintenance, repair and partial re-coating activities should be recorded in the Coating Technical File in accordance with the relevant section of the guidelines for coating maintenance and repair¹.

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¹ To be developed by the Organization.

 

3.4.4 Re-coating

 

If full re-coating is carried out, the items specified in paragraph 3.4.2 should be recorded in the Coating Technical File.

 

3.4.5 The Coating Technical File should be kept on board and maintained throughout the life of the ship.

 

3.5 Health and safety

 

The shipyard is responsible for the implementation of national regulations to ensure the health and safety of individuals and to minimize the risk of fire and explosion.

 

4. COATING STANDARD

 

4.1 Performance standard

 

This Standard is based on specifications and requirements which intend to provide a target useful coating life of 15 years, which is considered to be the time period, from initial application, over which the coating system is intended to remain in "GOOD" condition. The actual useful life will vary, depending on numerous variables including actual conditions encountered in service.

 

4.2 Standard application

 

4.2.1 Protective coatings for the following void spaces should comply with the requirements in this Standard:

 

.1 in bulk carriers:

 

.1 double bottom pipe passages / pipe tunnels;

 

.2 small void spaces located behind gusset or shedder plates at the bottom of corrugation bulkheads with the exception of totally enclosed spaces;

 

.3 other small void spaces in cargo spaces, with the exception of totally enclosed spaces;

 

.4 lower transverse stool of transverse bulkheads, with the exception of totally enclosed spaces²; and

 

.5 upper transverse stool of transverse bulkheads, with the exception of totally enclosed spaces²; and

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² Noting, inter alia, the mandatory provisions of resolution A.744(18), as amended, regarding the requirement to undertake close-up surveys of the internal structure of upper and lower stools, where fitted.

 

.2 in oil tankers:

 

.1 forward cofferdam/cofferdam separating cargo from forepeak;

 

.2 cofferdam in cargo area/cofferdam separating incompatible cargoes;

 

.3 aft cofferdam;

 

.4 duct keel/pipe tunnels;

 

.5 lower bulkhead stools; and

 

.6 upper bulkhead stools.

 

4.2.2 Protective coatings for the following void spaces should comply with the requirements in the Performance standard for protective coatings for dedicated seawater ballast tanks in all types of ships and double-side skin spaces of bulk carriers (resolution MSC.215(82)):

 

.1 in bulk carriers:

 

.1 double-side skin spaces in ships of less than 150 m in length; and

 

.2 upper and lower side void spaces and double bottoms void spaces in cargo area; and

 

.2 in oil tankers:

 

double-side skin (DSS) voids including sides, bottoms/double hull voids spaces protecting cargo oil tanks.

 

4.2.3 No requirements are contained in this Standard for protective coatings for the following void spaces in bulk carriers and oil tankers:

 

.1 totally enclosed spaces located behind gusset or shedder plates at the bottom of corrugation bulkheads and other small totally enclosed spaces in cargo tanks;

 

.2 lower transverse stool of transverse bulkheads that are totally enclosed spaces;

 

.3 upper transverse stool of transverse bulkheads that are totally enclosed spaces;

 

.4 transducer voids; and

 

.5 any spaces not specifically mentioned in paragraphs 4.2.1 and 4.2.2.

 

4.3 Special application

 

4.3.1 This Standard covers protective coating requirements for the ship steel structure. It is noted that other independent items are fitted within the tanks to which coatings are applied to provide protection against corrosion.

 

4.3.2 It is recommended that this Standard be applied, to the extent possible, to those portions of permanent means of access provided for inspection, not integral to the ship structure, such as rails, independent platforms, ladders, etc. Other equivalent methods of providing corrosion protection for non-integral items may also be used, provided they do not impair the performance of the coatings of the surrounding structure. Access arrangements that are integral to the ship structure, such as increased stiffener depths for walkways, stringers, etc., should fully comply with this Standard.

 

4.3.3 It is also recommended that supports for piping, measuring devices, etc., be coated in accordance with the provisions for non-integral items indicated in paragraph 4.3.2.

 

4.4 Basic coating requirements

 

4.4.1 The requirements for protective coating systems, which should be applied at ship construction to void spaces in bulk carriers and oil tankers meeting the standard specified in paragraph 4.1, are listed in table 1.

 

4.4.2 Coating manufacturers should provide a specification of the protective coating system to satisfy the requirements of table 1.

 

4.4.3 The Administration or an organization recognized by the Administration should verify the Technical Data Sheet and Statement of Compliance or Type Approval Certificate for the protective coating system.

 

4.4.4 The shipyard should apply the protective coating in accordance with the verified Technical Data Sheet and its own verified application procedures.

 

Table 1.
Basic coating system requirements for void spaces in bulk carriers and oil tankers

 

 

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³ Type of gauge and calibration in accordance with SSPC-PA2:2004. Paint Application Specification No.2.