WPCIA Washington July 2, 2020

　　Shandong Shipping, based in Qingdao, China, has chosen to work with Advanced Polymer Coatings, Inc. (APC) in Avon, Ohio, for the high-performance MarineLINE cargo tank coating system to be used on a series of eight 50,000 DWT new build MR product/chemical tankers.

　　Construction of the new tankers will commence at the end of 2020 at the New Times Shipbuilding Co Ltd, at the Xingang Port in Jingjiang City, China, and will continue into 2021 until all eight ships are completed.

　　Each ship will have 20 cargo tanks, plus slop tanks.

　　All eight vessels will be chartered by oil major Shell.

　　The ships will transport a range of Shell chemical products for its customers in various regions of the world.

　　“This ‘Shell Project Solar’ brings together a diverse group of companies with Shell as the manufacturer of a wide range of industrial chemicals and the long-term time charterer of the vessels; then Shandong Shipping as the owner and operator of the tankers; then New Times Shipyard as the builder of the vessels; and finally, APC providing its patented MarineLINE tank coating, along with application inspection, and full heat curing services," said David J. Keehan, president of Advanced Polymer Coatings. "It will be a team effort to have these vessels ready within the next year.”

　　Keehan said Shandong Shipping specifically recommended the MarineLINE coating to Shell’s technical management team over competitive cargo tank coating alternatives because of MarineLINE’s long-term performance features, versatility to carry a wide range of aggressive cargoes, and eco-friendly easy cleaning attributes.