TANKCOATING

CODE OF PRACTICE
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CONTENTS

Page

Section 1 Scope and nature of work 3

Section 2 General conditions 3

Section 3 Surface preparation 4

Section 4 Application of the tank coating system 5

Section 5 Inspection 6

Section 6 Safety, Ventilation, Staging, Lighting,

Rain-/Dust protection 8

Section 7 Water Immersion Testing 9

Appendix 10
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1. SCOPE AND NATURE OF WORK

1.0 The tank coating system is to be applied to interior surfaces of tanks in order to protect the steel
against corrosion, the cargo against contamination and to ease cleaning operations between cargoes.

1.1 A proper work plan shall always be available to the Coating Advisor and the Owner's representative.

1.2 Standard safety precautions used in tank coating operations shall be strictly observed. Solvents
released during the application of the coatings are noxious and flammable. Consequently, proper
ventilation in the tanks during application and drying is mandatory. (See safety sheets and local safety
regulations).

1.3 The tank coating materials shall be stored and applied in strict accordance with the recommendations
set forth by the Manufacturer in their technical data sheets.

1.4 The Contractor shall furnish the skilled labour, tools and equipment required to carry out the surface
preparation and application of the tank coating system as specified, not only to the bulkhead and
stiffeners, but also to piping, ladders, hatch coamings and covers etc.

2. GENERAL CONDITIONS

2.0 All work must be performed in accordance with the specification, the Manufacturer’s technical data
sheets and this Code of Practice.

2.1 A detailed work schedule incorporating all phases of the work shall be available to the Coating
Advisor, prior to the start of the tank coating operation. This work schedule must include the
scheduling of staging, blasting, abrasive removal, cleaning/vacuuming, application, inspection and
all other necessary procedures required to meet the intent of this Code of Practice.

2.2 Concerning physical conditions during the execution of the work, handling and mixing of the paint,
dry film thickness etc. the Manufacturer's data sheet shall prevail. Deviations may only be authorized
by the Coating Advisor of the Manufacturer.

2.3 The Contractor selected for the abrasive blasting and application of the tankcoating system to the
areas detailed in the specification, must be approved by Owner, Yard and the Manufacturer.

2.4 The Contractor is responsible for all repairs to the completed tank coating system caused by welding,
burning, impact damage etc. Such repairs are to be carried out in accordance with the specifications
and be to the satisfaction of the Coating Advisor.

3. SURFACE PREPARATION

3.0 The Contractor shall not commence blasting work in any tank before items 3.1 to 3.5 have been
complied with.

3.1 Deposits of grease and oil shall be removed completely from the surface by a suitable degreaser prior
to blasting. Likewise, any chemical contamination shall be neutralised and/or flushed off.

3.2 Deposits of water soluble salts (chlorides, sulphates) shall be removed by flushing with clear fresh
water prior to blasting. The maximum acceptable amount of water soluble salts on the blasted steel
surface is 16 mg/m 2 calculated as NaCl (10 mg/m 2 as Cl-). For methods of analysis see Appendix 2.

3.3 All welds within the tank should be smooth. Pinholes and other cavities (undercuts) are to be filled by
welding.

3.4 All sharp edges must be rounded off with a grinding wheel or other appropriate tool to a radius of
about 2 mm.

3.5 All weld spatter or pearls, welding deposits and slag must be removed. Laminations to be properly
ground off or welded before blasting. Ground areas to be reblasted to specified surface roughness.
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3.6 The Contractor is responsible for adequate completion of items 3.1 to 3.5.

3.7 Welding and burning in all adjacent areas to the tank must be completed prior to commencement of
gritblasting.

3.8 All steel surfaces to be coated, shall be dry abrasive blastcleaned to Sa 3 according to ISO 8501-1:
1988 (SIS 05 5900).

3.9 The surface may have the colour characteristic for the abrasive medium used.

3.10 The abrasive medium must produce a sharp edged pattern according to ISO 8503-3 or similar
standard as specified in the Manufacturer' technical data sheets.

3.11 The Contractor shall submit to the Manufacturer, prior to start up of work, necessary certificates
plus a sample of the abrasive planned for use. The abrasive shall meet the requirements as specified
in ISO/DIS 11 126-1 to 8 and will be tested according to ISO/DIS 11 127-1 to 7 (See Appendix 1).

3.12 The contractor shall use high efficiency blasting equipment to provide a 8-9 kg/cm 2 (114-128 psi)
pressure at the nozzle. Compressors to be placed as near as possible to the tank access.

3.13 During the blasting operation care must be taken to prevent the possibility of oil and/or water to
contaminate the blasted surface. Compressors must accordingly be fitted with efficient oil and water
traps.

3.14 No recycling of the used abrasive is allowed unless expressly approved by the Manufacturer.

3.15 After abrasive blasting and prior to the application of any coating system, steel surfaces and
scaffolding must be thoroughly vacuum cleaned. Other methods for final cleaning are not acceptable.
Staging planks must be vacuum cleaned and turned. Open ends of tubular parts of staging and pipes
must be capped. All dust must be removed completely. The quantity of dust shall be less than "Rating
1" according to ISO 8502-3.

3.16 During abrasive blasting and cleaning great care and attention should be given to control of the
atmosphere within the tank. The relative humidity shall preferably be below 60% and the minimum
steel temperature shall at all times be at 3°C above the dew point.

4. APPLICATION OF THE TANK COATING SYSTEM

4.0 The application of the tank coating system shall only be entrusted to skilled and experienced
contractors.

4.1 Upon completion of blasting and cleaning, the coating operation shall be applied as described in the
Manufacturer' technical data sheets.

4.2 For touch up and stripe coating, new or well cleaned brushes and rollers must be used. All welding
seams, back of bars, edges of cut outs, scallops, plate edges and other places with too low film
thickness shall be stripe coated before application of the next coat.

4.3 The recommended application equipment shall be used. Nozzle orifice and material pressure shall be
in accordance with the Manufacturer' technical data sheets.

4.3.1 For all applications, skilled operators must be used.

4.3.2 Prior and subsequent to using any spray equipment, care and diligence should be exercised to
maintain the equipment in proper working condition.

4.4 Recoating intervals must be in accordance with the Manufacturer' technical data sheets.

4.4.1 It is of vital importance that all spot repair work is also carried out in accordance with the
Manufacturer' technical data sheets and this Code of Practice. This means that surface preparation
and application has to meet the same requirements as for the original specification.
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4.4.2 All repair areas must have smooth border areas and perimeter edges must be feathered for proper film
continuity and adhesion of overlapping areas. Care should be taken not to damaging the surrounding
areas during preparation.

4.5 Thinning of the tank coating material prior to application must only be done in accordance with the
recommendations in the Manufacturer' technical data sheets. Any deviations from the procedure
outlined in the technical data sheets must be approved by the Coating Advisor. Precautions are to be
taken by the Contractor to prevent water and dust to contaminate the coating material during
application.

4.5.1 The base and hardener mixture must be allowed to stay the induction time shown on the technical
data sheets prior to application of the mixture.

4.5.2 The tank coating material's mixture is only usable for a defined period of time. At higher
temperatures the pot life is considerably reduced.

4.5.3 The temperature of the mixed coating materials should be approximately 15°C. The coating materials
shall accordingly be stored in a chilled/heated place before use if necessary.

4.6 The tank coating must never be applied if the relative humidity is above 80% and the temperature of
the substrate is not at least 3°C above the dew point. For the minimum substrate temperature
applicable to any particular tank coating system, see the Manufacturer' technical data sheets.

4.7 The Contractor shall use the Coating Adviser's figures of practical spreading rates when calculating
his consumption in relation to the specified dry film thickness.

4.8 Sufficient ventilation to remove solvents from the lower areas in the tank and promote curing is
required.

4.9 All cargo piping must receive special consideration when specified to be internally coated. The
Contractor shall take advantage of any pipe manufacturing procedures at the Shipyard to blast and
coat the interior surfaces of all pipe structures after manufacturing and testing prior to installation on
board the vessel.

4.9.1 All exterior surfaces of mounted piping arrangements shall as far as practical be treated as integral
parts of the tanks and be blasted/coated simultaneously with the tank.

4.10 The Contractor/Shipyard shall be responsible for maintaining a suitable temperature in the tanks after
completion of the application. See the curing tables in the Manufacturer' technical data sheets.

5. INSPECTION

5.0 The Coating Advisor always has the final responsibility of approval or non approval of any and all
aspects of the tank coating work. However, the work shall always be carried out in co-operation with
Contractor/Shipyard and Owner's Representative.

5.1 The Coating Adviser and the Owner's Representative shall have ready access to all phases of the
work. A reasonable time of notice shall be given before all inspections. The presence of the Coating
Advisor does not relieve the Yard/Contractor of the responsibility to execute the work in accordance
with the Specification of the Yard and this Code of Practice.

5.2 The following instruments shall preferably be used during inspections:

- Surface profile Comparator.

- Steel temperature thermometers
- R.H. sling psychrometer + spare thermometers
- Dew point calculator
- W.F.T. gauge
- D.F.T. gauge
- Pinhole detector
- Flow cup - DIN 4 and DIN 6
- ISO 8501-1: 1988 Standard Booklet
- Inspection mirror
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- Adequate lighting equipment
- Salt analysis equipment

5.3 The Contractor shall check his own work before requesting inspection by the Coating Advisor.

5.4 The Coating Advisor shall immediately report to the Owner's Representative if the specifications have
not been complied with. Unacceptable deviations from the specifications shall always be reported in
writing.

5.5 A pre-job conference shall be held before the work starts to discuss the following:

- Specification of the yard

- Tank coating; Code of Practice
- Product and Safety Data Sheets
- Equipment that will be available for the tank coating application

The following parties shall normally participate in these meetings:

- The Yard
- The Contractor
- The Owner's Representative
- The Manufacturer's Coating Advisor

Job conferences shall be held at least twice a week during the progress of the work to discuss or
review the following:

- Progress of work and unforeseen difficulties

- If work is going on according to specifications
- Changes in scope previously agreed upon
- Other circumstances which may effect efficiency and coating programme

5.6 The Yard will provide an adequate furnished office to the Coating Advisor during the project.

6. SAFETY - VENTILATION - STAGING - LIGHTING - RAIN-/DUST PROTECTION

6.0 The Coating Advisor shall be provided with the Shipyard's Safety Regulations.

6.1 The Shipyard/Contractor will be provided with Jotun Marine Coating’s safety sheets.

6.2 Areas where coating is in progress must be clearly identified. Hazard warnings showing
"EXPLOSION RISKS" and "NO SMOKING" must be placed on board on clearly visible places.

6.3 All equipment in use should be earthed properly. This is included, but not limited to compressors,
blasting and spraying equipment.

6.4 Steel preparation work in tanks adjacent to tanks where coating is in progress must be done carefully.
Hot work in adjacent tanks is not allowed.

6.5 A suitable and safe system of staging the tanks is to be provided. The construction of the scaffolding
must be such that proper cleaning can be done, e.g. turning of planks or use of gratings. Scaffolding
tubes are to be closed at the open ends.

6.6 The staging must provide free access to all tank surfaces without shifting of planks or erection of
ladders. It must also provide adequate working space and support for the maximum number of
workers.

6.7 The scaffolding shall have the minimum distance of 20 cm from the bulkheads and internals, and
about 2 m between each level. Enough space should be available for the sprayer to keep a good
distance between spray gun and bulkheads.

6.8 The scaffolding shall not be dismantled before the upper areas have been fully coated and accepted.

6.9 Utmost care not to destroy the coating must be taken when dismantling and removing the scaffolding
from the tank.
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6.10 The Shipyard/Contractor shall provide sufficient explosion proof flood- lighting and spotlighting
equipment to give good visibility during the painting operation and for inspection.

6.11 Precautions are to be taken to prevent water, dust, snow, rain and oil to enter the tanks during
blasting, application and curing. Adequate covers must be provided over hatch coamings and
butterworth openings.

6.12 Provision for cleaning of boots to be placed at the main entrance to the tank. Alternatively, clean
overshoes shall be provided.

6.13 Sufficient ventilation, dehumidification and heating equipment shall be provided to ensure the
conditions described in the Manufacturer' technical and safety data sheets and this Code of Practice.

APPENDIX 1

1. SPECIFICATION FOR BLASTING ABRASIVES.

Table 1: Particular requirements for copper refinery slag abrasives.

Property Requirement Test method

Apparent density, kg/dm³ 3,3 to 3,9 ISO/DIS 11127-3

Moh’s hardness Min. 6 ISO/DIS 11127-4
Moisture content % (m/m) Max. 0,2 ISO/DIS 11127-5
Conductivity of aqueous extract, mS/m Max. 25 ISO/DIS 11127-6
Water soluble chlorides % (m/m) Max. 0,0025 ISO/DIS 11127-7

2. SAMPLING AND TESTING OF WATER SOLUBLE SALTS ON BLASTED STEEL

SURFACES.

2.0 Water soluble salts, particulary chlorides, are known to induce failures such as osmotic blistering
when the paint is exposed to condensation humidity or immersed. All steel surfaces which have been
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exposed to marine or industrial environment will be contaminated by water soluble salts and corrosion
products. Rusted steel of grade C and D is particularly susceptible to such contamination.

Many different methods may be used to determine the presence of water soluble salts. All methods
involved washing of a known area with distilled water or an aqueous solution to extract any water
soluble salts from the surface. For most methods also the volume of the washing solution must be
known. The amount of water soluble salts can be determined either by titration, conductivity
measurements or colour reactions.

2.1 Conductivity.

This is the simplest method to use in the field. The principle is washing a known area with a known
amount of distilled water and then measuring the conductivity and convert the measurement to 20° C.
This method measures all soluble salts in a solution. So when calculating the concentration it must be
assumed that all salts are of one type, f. ex sodium chloride (NaCl). The amount of sodium chloride
can the be calculated according to the following formula:

Amount NaCl (mg/sqm) = 50 x conductivity (mS/m) x volume (ml)/ area (cm 2)

2.2 Titration

There is several methods which can be used to determine chlorides or sulphates. For determination of
chlorides the following ISO standards can be used:

ISO 8502-2: Tests for chloride on cleaned surfaces.

ISO 8502-6: Field analysis for chlorides. (The Bresle Method)

2.3 Other methods

The KTA SCAT Test Kit can be used for analysis of both chlorides and soluble ferrous salts.

The SCM 400 Salt Contamination Meter measures water soluble salts as NaCI

ISO 8502-1: Field test for soluble iron corrosion products.