Page 22: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (July 2010)

22 Maritime Reporter & Engineering News

FEATURE COMPANY PROFILE

From the time that Henry Sherwin de- livered to the world the first one-compo- nent paint, ready for use when the customer opened the can, Sherwin-

Williams, created in 1866, has long en- joyed its role of a coatings innovator.

Though the company’s history in the pro- tective and marine coatings is decidedly less than its cumulative 144 years in busi- ness, it is this corporate history and its philosophy of investing in products and systems to deliver the highest quality coatings solution has provided the com- pany a fast acceptance and solid reputa- tion in demanding industry and protective coating applications. “We are well known for our architec- tural coatings, but we are meaningful in the industrial and protective coating space,” said Peter J. Ippolito, president and general manager, Sherwin-Williams

Protective & Marine Coatings. Entering the marine, offshore and petrochemical sectors with the same innovation and vigor was the plan from the outset, and refined in 2008 when – at the start of what would prove to be a historic eco- nomic meltdown – the company made the strategic decision to launch its Global

Finishes Group. “During the toughest of economic times, we decided to invest rather than re- treat, investing in additional points of dis- tribution and acquisitions,” said Ippolito.

A key acquisition was that of Euronavy in December 2008, and the ability to sell the Euronavy ES301, an innovative sol- vent-free anticorrosive epoxy designed for application over marginally prepared surfaces. “We recognized then that rough times were on the horizon, but a down- turn in the economy is good for a com- pany that is honest with themselves,” said

Ippolito. “We conducted a top to bottom self evaluation, to ensure that we become more efficient and effective.”

The Euronavy Way “Many people see us as a ‘U.S.’ com- pany, but we own technology that was de- veloped outside of the U.S. and we are now brining that technology back to the

U.S. as a benefit to shipbuilders and shipowners,” said Bruce A. Toews,

Global Director, Petrochem & Offshore. “We are always looking to bring to our industry’s truly innovative products … that has always been our hallmark.”

Euronavy ES301 is designed to be a durable surface-tolerant coating that can be applied with no dew point restrictions over damp steel surfaces and over flash- rust, helping to reduce application time and costs. Coating can occur immediately after hydroblasting or other water prepa- ration methods without drying. In addi- tion to a number of technical advantages,

Solvent free Euronavy ES301 is environ- mentally compliant, with low VOCs (<150 g/l), and is HAPS free.

Today the company boasts that its Eu- ronavy ES301 Epoxy protects more than 120 million square feet of steel in off- shore and marine applications around the world. “Euronavy ES301 is one of the most in- novative and versatile coating options available today in the offshore and ma- rine markets,” said Brad Rossetto, Vice

President, Marketing, Sherwin-Williams

Protective & Marine Coatings. “This pre- mier technology can be applied on damp surfaces in humid conditions with mini- mal surface prep.”

Notably, the coating was honored by the Steel Tank Institute as its Product of the Year for 2009 for application on the

Gulf of Mexico’s Thunder Horse Field

Offshore drilling platform. Coating was required due to hurricane damage and the need to refurbish the top deck plate steel.

Coating restrictions required painting at night, with application in a moist, humid environment that included salt spray and salt fog. Surface profiles were nearly smooth due to restrictions against abra- sive blasting. Service life, even in the ex- treme conditions of the Gulf Coast, is expected to exceed 10 years. “Euronavy fits our high technology profile,” summarized Ippolito, “and we are going to look into making high tech- nology product acquisitions where we think it fits.”

Brazil

While the company may be painted in some corners as a ‘U.S.’ company, a quick run through Sherwin-William’s marine and offshore project reference list shows a body of work around the world, with a strong concentration in one of the world’s fastest emerging shipbuilding countries, Brazil. Sherwin-Williams has broad experience working with Brazil’s

Petrobras in the coating and refurbish- ment of a wide variety of marine struc- tures, from tankers to FPSOs to rigs. In fact, the company earlier this year led a workshop regarding the global marine in- dustry’s response to compliance with

IMO Performance Standard for Protec- tive Coatings (PSPC) in Rio de Janeiro,

Brazil.

During the event, the most recent IMO

PSPC Type Approvals granted were re- vealed, including the first-ever approval of an alternative coating system com- prised of a zinc-free organic shop primer – the ES301 system applied over PE31 pre-construction primer. “Responding to IMO PSPC using tra- ditional coating materials and typical methods of surface preparation will result in higher costs and lengthy building schedules,” said Brad Rossetto, Vice

President, Marketing, Sherwin-Williams

Protective & Marine Coatings. “For an emergent ship builder nation such as

Brazil, knowledge of innovations in the coatings industry is crucial to growing global market share.”

In addition to Sherwin-Williams Brasil, organizations that provided speakers in- cluded: ABS; Estaleiro Atlântico Sul, the largest shipyard in the Southern Hemi- sphere, launching its first vessel May 3;

Exova, the first laboratory to be PSPC certified; Petrobras, Brazil’s largest oil company, which pioneered the concept of combining hydroblasting and solvent- free humidity- and surface-tolerant coat- ings such as Euronavy ES301 throughout its operations; and Transpetro, Latin

America’s largest ship owner.

U.S. Navy & Protecting ‘Mighty Mo’

Early in 2010 Sherwin-Williams Pro- tective & Marine Coatings won a $24m, five-year U.S. Navy contract to supply marine coatings per Just-In-Time (JIT) delivery to four U.S. Navy shipyards. The company was one of two low bidders in the first national comprehensive JIT coat- ings contract awarded by the Fleet and

Industrial Supply Center (FISC), based in

Norfolk, Virginia. The overall value of the contract, awarded over five years, is approximately $34.5 million. “We have a long tradition of supplying innovative coatings to the Navy,” said Rossetto. “For example, Sherwin-Williams is currently providing coatings for active vessels such as the supercarrier U.S.S. Theodore Roo- sevelt, as well as historic warships such as the U.S.S. Missouri, the battleship on which Japan unconditionally surrendered to the United States, ending World War

II.”

On June 4, the Battleship Missouri Me- morial welcomed its four-millionth visi- tor since its grand opening in 1999. The historic ship was moved from its pier-side home in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on Octo-

Sherwin-Williams

Long history, promising future developing advanced marine and offshore coating solutions

PROTECTING “Mighty Mo”

Nearly 5,500 gallons of Sherwin-Williams high- performance marine and protective coatings were applied to the Battleship Missouri.