MarineLINE coating applied to first Jones Act chemical barge conversion

Advanced Polymer Coatings has completed the first application of its MarineLINE tank coating system on a Jones Act vessel at a US shipyard, following the conversion of an articulated tug barge petroleum unit into a chemical carrier at Gulf Marine Repair in Tampa, Florida.
The 19-month conversion programme covered the ATB barge MAM 141 and involved the application of more than 18,925 litres of MarineLINE coating. Gulf Marine Repair said the project was the largest conversion undertaken by the yard, involving more than 200 workers and installation of 320 tonnes of steel before blasting and coating operations began.
The conversion was managed by Amtech on behalf of owner Marathon Asset Management. Robert Kunkel, president, Amtech, said rising US chemical cargo demand and limited vessel availability had driven the decision to convert the barge rather than commission a newbuild. The conversion cost was estimated at about one-third of the USD 150 million cost of constructing a new ATB, equivalent to roughly EUR 132 million at current exchange rates.
“This was a cargo-driven decision,” Kunkel said. “There is an increasing volume of chemical cargoes coming into the US and a shortage of tonnage. And those chemicals are difficult to move – like methanol, caustic products and biofuels. The market is changing from traditional fuels.” He added: “MarineLINE is used in Korean shipyards where I’ve worked for the last 30 years and it was enabling tankers to carry the most highly corrosive cargoes. I just thought, let’s bring that to the US.”
The yard is now the only US facility with experience applying MarineLINE systems, said Gulf Marine Repair chief executive Richard McCreary.