IMO MSC.215(82) Performance Standard for Protective Coatings - a standard designed to achieve a target coating lifetime of 15 years in dedicated seawater ballast tanks and double side-skin spaces of bulk carriers.

At newbuilding, on vessels of not less than 500GT, all coatings used in seawater ballast tanks and the double-side skin spaces in bulk carriers of >150m length, including the shop primer if retained, must now comply with PSPC regulations.

To comply, all coatings must have a ‘Type Approval Certificate’ (TAC) which means that the product has demonstrated the expected performance, the quality of the supplied material is assured and that the supply location has met the requirements of the body insuing the TAC.

The IMO PSPC is applicable to vessels where:

        · the building contract was placed on or after 1st July 2008, or

        · if no contract, the keel of which was laid on or after 1st January 2009, or

        · the delivery is on or after 1st July 2012.