In a landmark decision IMO’s Marine Environment Protection Committee has ruled that from 2020, the sulphur limit on marine fuels must be reduced from 3.50% to 0.50%. This will have a major impact on the marine industry. Ship owners have several options to achieve this but undoubtedly the most economical solution is to install an approved SOx reduction method, for example a marine exhaust gas scrubber.
Our recommendation is that the scrubber exhaust gas outlet pipe be manufactured from highly anti-corrosive materials such as Super Duplex. However, these materials are very expensive and incorrectly specified when chlorides are present. Our licenced partner – Corrocoat Korea has been approached by several shipyards for advice and recommended the use of Polyglass VEF.
In a bid to use the lowest cost option some Korean shipyards investigated the use of Phenolic Epoxy but this is not suitable where sulphuric acid is present and within two or three years the coating would be in danger of breaking down.
In order to demonstrate the beneficial properties of Polyglass VEF, Corrocoat Korea has used the material at 1,500µm thickness on the internal surfaces of an exhaust gas outlet pipe at Hyundai Mipo Dockyard and is currently introducing the product to other shipyards.