Section 2 Coatings

2.1.1 The following plans and information regarding corrosion protection by the use of coatings are to be agreed between the shipyard and owner prior to construction, and, where required by subsequent sections, submitted to Class for review:

1. A copy of the Lloyd’s Register approval certificate for pre-fabrication primer (shop-primer).

2. Details of the coating system. This is to include the paint specification with regard to:

   1. The identity and generic type of the coating, and confirmation by the manufacturer of its suitability for the intended environment;

   2. The methods used to prepare the surface before the coating is applied, and the standards to be achieved, with reference to shipyard standards, or National or International Standards;

   3. The method of application of the coating in each area; and

   4. The number of coats to be applied, with the nominal total dry film thickness.

3. Details of the areas to be coated.

2.1.2 Paints or other coatings are to be confirmed as being suitable for their intended purpose in the locations where they are to be used. In areas not covered by the Regulations identified in the following Sections, this shall be demonstrated by the submission of the paint manufacturer’s technical data sheet, together with appropriate in-service experience.

2.1.3 Coatings used in cargo oil tanks, cargo tank deck areas, pump rooms, cofferdams or any other area where flammable vapours may accumulate shall be coated using suitable coating systems. If the selected coatings for these spaces contain aluminium, it shall be present at less than 10 per cent by weight in the dry film.

2.1.4 Coatings utilised in areas such as accommodation or defined escape routes are required to comply with the appropriate Sections of the following SOLAS Regulations:

1. Areas defined as requiring low flame spread coatings shall be treated in accordance with SOLAS II-2, Regulation 5.

2. Areas defined as requiring low smoke and toxicity emission coatings shall be treated in accordance with SOLAS II-2, Regulation 6.

2.1.5 Coating manufacturers shall comply with the requirements of Ch 1, 2.1 Approval and survey requirements – General 2.1.5 regarding control of the manufacturing process.

2.1.6 The top coat of coating systems used in spaces subject to scheduled inspection should be light in colour to assist the Surveyor.

2.2.1 Coatings are to be applied in accordance with the manufacturer’s recommendations, to surfaces prepared in accordance with the agreed coating application specification.

2.2.2 The surface treatment prior to coating application should be performed in accordance with the manufacturer’s recommendations, unless a mandatory minimum standard has been established for specified areas, such as in Sections Ch 15, 2.4 Seawater ballast tank coatings and Ch 15, 2.5 Cargo oil tank coatings below.

2.2.3 Dust and surface contamination, such as oil or salt deposits, is to be removed, as far as is practicable, from the surface prior to the application of any paint. The cleanliness of the surface should be measured using appropriate shipyard, National or International standard methods, with the following properties assessed:

1. Residual salt levels.

2. Oil contamination.

3. Dust or other particulates.

2.2.4 Appropriate methods shall be used to remove, as far as practicable, surface contamination detected when assessing the surfaces. Selection of these methods shall consider the location of the surface to be cleaned, any applicable standards and any local environmental legislation.

2.3.1 Where a pre-fabrication primer is used to coat steel after surface preparation and prior to fabrication, the composition of the coating is to be such that it will have no significant deleterious effect on subsequent welding work, and it is to be compatible with the coatings subsequently applied over it.

2.3.2 For Lloyd’s Register classed vessels and structures the pre-fabrication primer shall be of an approved type. A list of pre-fabrication primers currently approved by LR is available on Lloyd’s Register’s Class Direct website, accessible at http://www.lr.org.

2.3.3 The full approval procedure is detailed in MQPS Book P, Procedure 19-5.

2.4.1  For ships that are required to comply with IMO Resolution MSC.215(82) - Performance Standard for Protective Coatings for Dedicated Seawater Ballast Tanks in all Types of Ships and Double-Side Skin Spaces of Bulk Carriers - (Adopted on 8 December 2006), all dedicated seawater ballast tanks for all ship types and double-side skin spaces of bulk carriers are to have approved coating systems applied in accordance with the ShipRight Procedure Anti-Corrosion Systems Notation.

2.4.2 The procedure for coating system type approval is detailed in MQPS Book P, Procedure 19-3. A list of PSPC-compliant seawater ballast tank coating systems currently type approved by LR is available on Lloyd’s Register’s Class Direct website.

2.4.3 The compliance of the vessel with the PSPC requirements is demonstrated by the formal acceptance of the Coating Technical File (CTF) and the issue of the vessel’s SOLAS certificate. A copy of the accepted CTF shall be retained on the vessel. The appropriate Class notations will be assigned in accordance with the ShipRight Procedure Anti-Corrosion System Notation.

2.4.4 The CTF shall record all of the mandatory information required by the PSPC, including the paint schedule, primary surface preparation, pre-fabrication priming, secondary surface preparation, assessment of the surface condition, coating application, repairs and evidence of the resolution of any non-compliances. This data is to be recorded by a designated, appropriately qualified coatings inspector assigned by the ship builder.

2.4.5 Maintenance of PSPC-compliant coatings in accordance with the CTF is mandatory.

2.4.6 For ships that are not required to comply with IMO Resolution MSC.215(82) - Performance Standard for Protective Coatings for Dedicated Seawater Ballast Tanks in all Types of Ships and Double-Side Skin Spaces of Bulk Carriers - (Adopted on 8 December 2006), all seawater ballast spaces having boundaries formed by the hull envelope are to have a corrosion protection coating applied, see ShipRight Procedure Protective Coatings in Water Ballast Tanks (PCWBT).

2.4.7 Where requested, a Descriptive Note PCWBT will be entered in column six of the Register Book to indicate that all seawater ballast spaces having boundaries formed by the hull envelope have a corrosion protection coating applied, and that the coating remains efficient and is maintained in good condition. If the coatings have broken down, particularly at more critical areas, and no effort is being made to maintain the coatings, then this note will be placed in parentheses, i.e. (PCWBT). In either case, the date of the last survey will be placed in parentheses after the note.

2.5.1 For ships that are required to comply with IMO Resolution MSC.288(87) – Performance Standard for Protective Coatings for Cargo Oil Tanks of Crude Oil Tankers – (Adopted on 14 May 2010), all cargo oil tanks are to have type approved coating systems applied in accordance with ShipRight Procedure Anti-Corrosion System Notation. Owners may request to receive the optional notation ShipRight ACS(C).

2.5.2 The procedure for coating system type approval is detailed in MQPS Book P, Procedure 19-4. A list of PSPC-COT compliant cargo oil tank coating systems currently type approved by LR is available on Lloyd’s Register’s Class Direct website.

2.5.3 SectionsCh 15, 2.4 Seawater ballast tank coatings 2.4.4, Ch 15, 2.4 Seawater ballast tank coatings 2.4.5 and Ch 15, 2.4 Seawater ballast tank coatings 2.4.6 above apply.

2.5.4 Where the vessel’s Owner has not requested to receive the ShipRight ACS(C) notation, compliance with the PSPC-COT Regulation is demonstrated by the formal acceptance of the Coating Technical File and the issue of the vessel’s Oil Tanker Safety Certificate.

2.6.1 Ships within the scope of IMO 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) may, if requested by the Owner, receive an optional notation in accordance with the ShipRight Procedure Anti-Corrosion System Notation.

2.6.2 Void spaces on ships should, if possible, be coated in accordance with IMO 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), which is not mandatory. Where an alternative to these guidelines is used the coating system selected shall be suitable for the service environment, and applied in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions.

2.7.1 The cargo hold spaces of bulk carriers shall be protected by a suitable corrosion protection coating. The coating system selected shall be suitable for the intended cargoes and applied in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions.

2.7.2 All internal and external surfaces of hatch coamings and hatch covers, and all internal surfaces of the cargo holds, excluding the flat tank top areas and the hopper tank sloping plating more than approximately 300 mm below the side shell frame and brackets, shall be coated.

2.8.1 Other internal tanks not covered by the above shall include those listed in Ch 15, 2.4 Seawater ballast tank coatings 2.4.8 and shall include those intended for the storage of, for example: black water; grey water; potable or made water, permanent ballast tanks, fuel tanks, etc.

2.8.2 Internal tanks and other compartments may require corrosion protection where the intended contents may cause or promote corrosion. Acceptable protective measures may include suitable coatings, cathodic protection or corrosion inhibitors, either individually, or in combination.

2.8.3 Selection of any coating system for such spaces shall be confirmed by the coating manufacturer to be resistant to the media stored in these tanks and shall be applied and maintained according to the coating manufacturer's procedures.

2.8.4 Some internal spaces are subject to Flag State or other local regulations regarding the coatings and other corrosion prevention systems that may be used. The selected coating system shall be fully compliant with all relevant legislation and be capable of protecting the tank from corrosion in applications where the use of sacrificial anodes is prohibited, such as in potable water tanks.

2.9.1 External hulls are to be protected from corrosion by the use of appropriate anti-corrosive measures, which may include the application of suitable coating systems to all external surfaces.

2.9.2 Coatings used for corrosion prevention of exterior hulls should be confirmed as suitable for this application by the manufacturer, whose recommendations regarding surface preparation and coating application should be followed. Compatibility of the coating with other anti-corrosive measures should be confirmed by the coating manufacturer.

2.9.3 High resistance paints (HRP) shall be used on the underwater hull of vessels applying for or in possession of the in-water survey notation *IWS. High resistance paints shall be of a hard, convertible type, such as an epoxy, polyurethane or equivalent, and shall be applied in accordance with the manufacturer’s recommendations.

2.9.4 Vessels applying for the *IWS notation must submit the details of the coatings selected for review, including the manufacturer’s technical data sheets, the number of coats and the total dry film thicknesses applied.

2.9.5 Coatings which have been certified by LR as being either PSPC-compliant seawater ballast tank coatings or recognised Corrosion Control Coatings (CCC) are automatically acceptable as high-resistance paints. Any such certification should be submitted when requesting the in-water survey Notation as above.

2.9.6 The procedure of LR recognition for Corrosion Control Coatings is detailed in MQPS Book P, Procedure 19-7. A list of corrosion control coatings currently recognised by LR is available on Lloyd’s Register’s Class Direct website.

2.10.1 Coatings used on the hulls of LR classed vessels shall be recognised by LR as complying with the IMO Convention on the Control of Harmful Anti-fouling Systems on Ships, and associated guidelines.

2.10.2 Compliance of a coating shall be demonstrated prior to use by the issue of a certificate of recognition, or alternatively by the sampling of the coating during or immediately after application. Coating samples shall be tested for their controlled substances content and confirmed as being compliant before the vessel is issued with its AFS convention certificate.

2.10.3 The procedure for achieving LR recognition is detailed in MQPS Book P, Procedure 19-6. A list of anti-fouling coatings currently recognised by LR is available on Lloyd’s Register’s Class Direct website.

2.11.1 The cargo tanks of tankers engaged in the carriage of refined products or mixed product/crude oil usage should be protected from corrosion by the application of corrosion resistant alloys, or alternatively by the application of suitable coatings or other corrosion prevention systems.

2.11.2 Any coating used in such environments should be of a type recommended by the manufacturer for that use, and applied according to their recommendations. Proof of compatibility of the coating with the intended cargoes shall be provided by the coating manufacturer.

2.12.1 The regular inspection, maintenance and, where necessary, repair of coatings are essential to preserve their anti-corrosive performance during the life of the vessel.

2.12.2 Where deterioration in the quality of a coating is identified, it should be addressed immediately, and preferably restored to the original condition.

2.13.2 A combination of laboratory tests and in-service inspections by LR Surveyors of vessels that have been operated in ice conditions for at least two winters is required for full recognition.

2.13.3 Laboratory tests shall include assessments of the coating’s resistance to abrasion, impact resistance, strength of adhesion to the substrate and flexibility, in addition to conventional corrosion resistance tests.

2.13.4 A list of ice coatings currently recognised by LR is available on Lloyd’s Register’s Class Direct website.