International Paint has announced that its principal anticorrosive primers and shop primers have successfully passed IMO PSPC COT laboratory testing in accordance with the IMO MSC.288 (87) SOLAS regulations for cargo oil tankers.
These regulations, approved at MSC87 in May 2010, become effective for new cargo oil tankers from the 1st of January 2013 under the International Maritime Organisation’s Performance Standard for Protective Coatings of Cargo Oil Tanks (IMO PSPC COT). Similar to the requirements of the IMO PSPC for sea water ballast tanks, these regulations are designed to ensure the longevity of cargo oil tanks and stipulate that applied coatings must remain in ‘good’ condition for a minimum of 15 years, as defined by the International Association of Classification Societies.
For a cargo oil tank coating to comply, all coatings must be tested by Class Society approved testing facilities and have a Class Society Type Approval Certificate (TAC). The award of a TAC means the product has demonstrated the expected in service performance, the quality of the supplied material is assured and the product supply location has met regulatory requirements.
The successful IP products passing laboratory tests include key products from the Interbond®, Intergard®, Interplate® and Intershield® product ranges. Approved laboratories carrying out the testing include COT bv based in the Netherlands. COT bv was the first laboratory in the world with specific Lloyd’s Register approval to carry out testing in accordance with the IMO MSC.288 (87) regulations for Cargo Oil Tankers.
