Your questions answered

How can marine coatings support tanker owners?

 In the tanker market, where strong earnings have encouraged owners to keep vessels trading longer, maintaining the performance of this aging fleet is vital. To help tankers grow old gracefully, owners will need to make well-informed vessel efficiency decisions. This includes selecting the right coatings that balance costs and performance.

Q: Why are hull coatings especially important for tanker owners right now?

Oil tankers represent about 28% of the global fleet by deadweight tonnage, with chemical tankers adding an additional 2%. And the global tanker fleet is aging fast, with lower scrapping rates, influenced by strong market conditions, and limited fleet renewal driving this trend. The fleet has actually never been older, with an average age of over 14 years old and around 53% of tankers now over 15. Tanker orders have also declined sharply, down by approximately 55% since 2024.  

Given current market conditions, the goal should be to unlock efficiency and high performance without excessive investment in aging vessels. With this in mind, selecting the right hull coating tailored to the vessel’s unique operating profile—and achieving the optimal balance between CAPEX and performance for its age—is key. Our whitepaper demonstrates this approach, revealing the high accuracy of our predictive Intertrac® Vision tool by correlating its forecasts to the actual speed loss experienced by a globally trading VLCC vessel over a five-year docking period.
 

Q: Can hull coatings help with regulatory compliance for tankers?

Yes, as an efficiency solution, hull coatings can support tankers in complying with current and upcoming environmental regulations. With the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS), FuelEU Maritime, and the proposed IMO Net-Zero Framework, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions can now essentially be seen as costs, and they are ramping up quickly. The costs of compliance with these expanding emissions regulations should play an influential role in marine coating decisions. 

Looking at other regulations, poor IMO Energy Efficiency Existing Ships Index (EEXI) and Carbon Intensity Indicator (CII) ratings do not necessarily directly impact operating costs, but they do underline how efficient or inefficient a ship is. The results may hinder a tanker owner’s ability to work for leading charterers or force them to travel slower than competitors to comply, both of which hurt competitiveness.  

More of tanker owners’ costs can be reduced by investing in vessel efficiency than they may realise, and getting the right advice is important. Our Intertrac® Vision tool provides a forecast, including a through-life cost estimate for specific vessels and voyages, highlighting the performance gains and return on investment from hull coatings.   
 

Q: How can tanker owners maximize vessel uptime?

We recognize that maximizing a vessel’s earnings potential matters. While off-hire costs vary, a typical range for tankers is $20-50k per day. The tanker segment has also been enjoying a strong period of demand and crude tanker rates, in particular, remain solid. To maintain high earning potential and minimize costly downtime, proactive planning is essential. Pre-dock inspections play a key role, enabling owners to identify and define the necessary scope of work before entering drydock, which helps reduce time in dock and avoid unexpected repairs By investing in coating solutions, tanker owners further reduce the likelihood of vessels requiring drydock for unexpected repairs or maintenance. A routine tanker drydock can cost up to $5-6 million, depending on vessel size, yard location, scope of work and the time spent in dock. 

Effective coatings that protect the hull, tanks, and other equipment, combined with thorough pre-dock inspections, help maximize vessel uptime and deliver significant savings on shipyard fees. Our technical service team is well positioned to support ship owners throughout this process, providing expertise in conducting pre-dock surveys and developing detailed dry dock specifications and work scopes. 
 

Q: How can tanker owners keep shipyard costs down?

Shipyards are expensive places to keep a ship, with tanker drydocks costing up to $5-6 million, depending on vessel size, yard location, scope of work and the time spent in dock. Installing an antifouling system typically only represents 20-40% of total docking costs, but yard costs can quickly spiral if there are inefficiencies in decision-making or paint application. Choosing a coating with an appropriate application scheme and avoiding ones with unnecessary extra complexity can help tanker owners minimize the duration, and therefore costs, of shipyard visits. 

Q: How long will hull cleaning take on a VLCC?  

Biocide-free silicone coatings such as Intersleek® 2120 (link: https://www.international-marine.com/en/in-focus/intersleek) can help to reduce hull cleaning times. This is especially valuable for very large crude carrier (VLCC) ships as they operate on tight schedules for loading and unloading cargo, where any delays can result in costly fees. 

At International®, we are seeing increased proactivity in hull cleaning as operators look to maximize vessel performance. This is a positive step, but in-water cleaning still presents significant challenges. This is particularly true when it comes to selecting suitable port locations, ensuring consistent cleaning quality, and minimizing operational delays. Combining the right coating with an appropriate cleaning regimen can help optimize this process for tanker owners.