OREANDA-NEWS. NSGPTM-3, Highly Corrosion Resistant Steel Plate from NSSMC, Substantially Reduces Corrosion in Cargo Holds for Coal and Is Applied to the First Commercial Vessel

NSGPTM-3, highly corrosion resistant steel plate developed by Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal Corporation (NSSMC; Representative Director and President, Mr. Kosei Shindo), which significantly reduces corrosion in cargo holds for coal, was applied to PLAINPALAIS(DWT.81,600tons), a bulk carrier constructed by Tadotsu Shipyard Co., Ltd., an affiliate of Imabari Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. (Representative Director and President, Mr. Yukito Higaki), and was delivered to the Tadotsu Shipyard on Monday, August 3rd.

According to NSSMC's survey of commercial vessels, steel plate used in cargo holds gets severely corroded in an environment where chloride contained in seawater and coal coexist and where the coal alternately gets wet and dry. Hence, the International Association of Classification Societies Ltd. (IACS) has set the requirement that steel plate to be used in cargo holds, must have corrosion additions. In addition, there are some cases when anti-corrosion coating is needed.    

However, the amount of corrosion wear loss could exceed the provision made for it, requiring replacement of the steel plate. Or, contact with cargo loading and handling equipment could cause peeling of the coating on the plate and accelerate the corrosion. These are reasons for high maintenance costs of the vessels.

In 2007 NSSMC developed and commercialized the world's first highly corrosion resistant steel plate, NSGPTM-1, for the bottom plates of crude oil tankers. Then in 2014, NSGPTM-2, highly corrosion resistant steel plates for crude oil tankers, were approved for the first time in the world as materials for upper decks (ceiling parts) of crude oil tanker's cargo oil tanks. Based on knowledge and expertise from those development and commercial applications, NSSMC engineers studied how to achieve optimal types and amounts of alloy elements to be added, and thereby developed NSGPTM-3, which significantly restrains corrosion in cargo holds. NSGPTM-3 can be welded or processed in a similar manner to conventional steel s and requires no particular handling in construction of vessels. Such is another advantage of NSGPTM-3, leading to reduction of total costs.

NSSMC will continue efforts to contribute to the greater safety of vessels and the global environment through the development and supply of high-performance steel.