- Many factors decide the sailing efficiency of a ship. One of those things is the coating used on the surface of the ship.
The coating protects the ship from tide and the ecosystem of the water, to extend the life of the ship and improve sailing efficiency. Mody, site manager of the Singapore LPG shipowner company PETREDEC, praised the KCC marine coatings of KCC for being “economical and environment-friendly.”
Huge ships are made at various shipyards with dynamic energy on the seashore in Ulsan. The Singaporean shipowner company PETREDEC is in the middle of building a ship, too. PETREDEC is a global Anglo-eastern company with forty years of history in the ship industry that also provides various technical services. Since around one year ago, it has been operating a local office in Ulsan and conducting a project to build twelve 84,000 CBM LPG ships. Mody is the site manager who leads the field. He is the managing supervisor of the shipowner company that ordered the ships and directs the building of the ships. It is his responsibility to check the overall process from installation of machinery to pre-coating, coating and quality control. A ship is highly expensive and even a small mistake in the drying process can lead to sailing damages. Therefore an acute eye is required. This is the same for the coating process, too. It must be made sure the process is sticking to the specifications, and there are no technical issues.
Mody is a former engineer who knows ships well, and he gives his thumbs up to KCC for being a good partner. “The KCC marine coating is of the highest quality. Once a ship is coated, it lasts for at least five years, and around seven years on average. Therefore, we have to be picky about the quality. KCC marine coating is not only environmentfriendly, but also has excellent friction and corrosion-resistant functions, which help lead efficient sailing.”
The KCC marine coating is functional so it helps ships endure sea water. It is corrosion-resistant against air, water and CO2 on the ship’s surface, and prevents marine animals and plants from sticking to the bottom of the ship, which reduces friction. It also maintains the unique color and shine of the coating despite the harsh environment of the sea, including UV rays, wind and sea water, too. The coating process of a ship is based on negotiations between the shipowner company, the shipyard, and the paint maker, so smooth communication is necessary.
Mody said he is happy and satisfied for being able to work with the polite and highly skilled expert employees of KCC who supervise construction. “I am very satisfied with the great quality service and expertise of the KCC construction supervisors. They not only fulfill their basic duties well, but also quickly provide solutions to any requests or subjects of negotiation, so everything runs smoothly.”
Assistant manager Ji-min Kim from the KCC Ulsan Technical Service Team 1 which supervises the coating in the field said he feels the same way, “The PETREDEC supervisor provides us with a lot of support so everything runs smoothly. He also shares variables of improvements that arise in the process in a productive way, in an effort to pro-duce optimal results.” Two of the twelve ships ordered have been safely completed and delivered so far. The goal for completing the project is July 2016, and cooperation continues at this very moment.
Mody told us what he wanted from KCC to maximize the synergy effect. “I am always satisfied with our work with KCC. However, I hope for KCC to create a network with ports in all areas of the world. Ships sail all over the world and sometimes need to be re-painted after damage from seawater, UV ray and rain, and I think it would be good if there was marine coatings provided at different ports to make maintenance and repair possible right away when needed. I look forward to further developments of KCC in the future . PETREDEC will endeavor to continuously improve and develop, and turn into a global leader that keeps up with the changes of the market, too.”
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