Samsung Heavy Industries Leads Eco-Friendly Coating Technology in Shipbuilding Industry

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoonju Hwang] Samsung Heavy Industries is taking the lead in expanding the application of eco-friendly coating technology in the shipbuilding industry by successfully developing ship coatings that drastically reduce harmful chemical substances in the atmosphere.

On the 1st, Samsung Heavy Industries announced that it has succeeded in developing an eco-friendly water-based coating with dramatically improved field applicability in collaboration with the Japanese paint manufacturer Chugoku Marine Paints (CMP), and has begun its first application on an 180,000㎥ class LNG carrier currently under construction.

The newly developed water-based coating by Samsung Heavy Industries maintains the eco-friendly characteristics of water-based coatings, which contain no volatile organic compounds (VOCs) ? the main cause of air pollution ? nor any harmful substances to the human body, and pose no fire or explosion risks.

Additionally, it is a next-generation eco-friendly ship coating that overcomes all the drawbacks of existing water-based coatings, including ▲high corrosion resistance and adhesion ▲excellent workability even in winter ▲and a revolutionary reduction in drying time.

In November 2018, Samsung Heavy Industries became the first in the shipbuilding industry to develop a 'Solvent Free Coating' by eliminating solvents ? chemical substances included to lower paint viscosity and facilitate application ? and successfully applied it to LNG carriers, presenting a new eco-friendly solution to the industry struggling with air quality regulations.

Two years later, the company developed a next-generation water-based ship coating applicable to painting areas where solvent-free coatings could not be used due to shipbuilding specifications, leading the development and dissemination of eco-friendly coating technologies.

Shim Yong-rae, head of the Shipbuilding and Offshore Research Institute at Samsung Heavy Industries, emphasized, "We plan to increase the use of eco-friendly coatings to 60% of the total coating volume by 2024," adding, "Expanding eco-friendly coating technology lays the foundation for a sustainable management environment and enhances non-price competitiveness of our products."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.