HZ info:The 2025 Marintec China recently concluded. During the exhibition, a number of major cooperation agreements were signed, all pointing to the core needs of the shipping industry's green transformation and cost reduction/efficiency improvement. The conclusion of these significant deals, which focused not only on specific technologies like low-VOC, near-zero VOC coatings, and efficient antifouling, also revealed an industry trend shifting from simple product supply towards deep technical cooperation, long-term service commitments, and joint performance validation.

Devi Paints and COSCO Kansai are promoting emission reduction through low-VOC coatings.Sunrui and Nippon Paint are providing reliable coating protection for green ships through customized solutions and performance validation. In terms of improving operational economy, Hempel's high-efficiency antifouling paint can help ships significantly reduce fuel consumption, while AkzoNobel's long-lasting coating technology offers crucial support for extending maintenance cycles and ensuring fleet efficiency.

Coating companies are promoting the evolution of coatings from a single-function material to a core asset affecting ship energy efficiency, environmental performance, and operating costs through cross-sector collaboration, full-lifecycle services, and verifiable energy-saving commitments, collectively providing systematic support for the sustainable and high-quality development of the shipping industry.

 In this process, Chinese shipbuilding and coating companies have taken the lead in demonstrating the practical path from technology development to industrial chain integration through deep collaborative innovation. As a key participant, Sunrui Coatings (under the China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation (CSIC) 725 Institute), together with Sunrui Environment and Sunrui Rubber & Plastics, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Dalian Shipbuilding Industry (DSIC) and DSIC Equipment. In response to trends in ship greening and lightweighting, Sunrui Coatings will provide customized high-performance coating and surface engineering solutions for green ship equipment such as wind-assisted propulsion systems. Through collaboration with Dalian Shipbuilding in areas like composite laminated wood, they will practice a new cooperation model of "strategic co-construction + supply chain linkage" to jointly address the industry's fundamental needs for greening and cost reduction/efficiency improvement. Sunrui Coatings is transitioning from a stable internal coating supplier within the group to a key technical partner deeply involved in front-end design. This strategic move aims to address fundamental industry demands and consolidate and expand its presence in the high-end market.

Also focusing on intra-group synergy, COSCO Kansai Paint & Chemicals Co., Ltd. signed an annual cooperation agreement for shop primers with COSCO Shipping Heavy Industry Co., Ltd. COSCO Kansai will supply environmentally friendly shop primers with low VOCs and high anti-corrosion performance, products which have been applied in major national projects like the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge. This establishes a stable green supply chain from the manufacturing source, achieving a closed loop in the green supply chain.

While domestic companies deepen their collaborations, international coating giants are providing another strong impetus for industry transformation through their cutting-edge technologies and extensive service networks. Hempel signed paint procurement contracts for eighteen 50K MR tankers with Guangzhou Shipyard International (GSI) and COSCO Shipping. The agreement covers nine newbuild vessels, which will utilize its Hempaguard NB high-performance silicone antifouling paint specifically developed for the newbuilding phase. This technological breakthrough allows efficient antifouling coatings to be applied during construction, avoiding additional dry-docking after delivery. According to Hempel's data, this solution can enable ships to achieve fuel savings of up to 20%, with an average speed loss of 1.2%, and provides 120 days of idle protection against biofouling.

Meanwhile, International Paint, under AkzoNobel, formally signed a cooperation agreement for 2026 dry-dock projects with Qingdao Walleq International Ship Management Co., Ltd. According to the agreement, AkzoNobel will supply several hundred thousand liters of silicone antifouling paint for Walleq International's vessel dry-dockings next year. The cooperation between the two parties began in 2016, and by 2025, 25% of Walleq International's vessels were already using AkzoNobel's Intersleek® 1100SR product. This agreement represents a further deepening based on nearly a decade of product application history, with coating suppliers shifting towards becoming strategic service partners ensuring the long-term operational efficiency of fleets.

 Furthermore, Nippon Paint signed a technical cooperation agreement with Lloyd's Register. Building on the FASTAR sea trials conducted in 2022, the two parties will further conduct real-ship performance evaluations of the AQUATERRAS and the full FASTAR series of antifouling coatings. This aims to verify their energy-saving performance and carbon reduction potential under actual sailing conditions, providing the industry with more credible selection criteria. The goal is to translate specific performance into reliable, industry-recognized selection standards, offering shipowners decision-making support based on empirical evidence.

Simultaneously, green industry linkages are advancing outside the exhibition hall. On December 3, 2025, Devi Paints and Huayang Maritime Center Co., Ltd. signed a strategic cooperation agreement in Shanghai. The two parties will integrate their technical and operational advantages to focus on promoting the market application of solvent-free ship coatings with near-zero emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). In the future, they plan to jointly develop coating solutions with more optimal full-lifecycle costs by combining technologies like high-solid-content, low-viscosity coatings and intelligent methods such as underwater robot automatic cleaning. This collaboration aims to enhance the competitiveness of domestic brands through industrial chain cooperation. It is seen as a significant industrial linkage within the green transformation of the shipping industry, demonstrating how various industry players are accelerating the move towards a smarter, greener future in diverse forms.

This wave of signings clearly indicates that the cooperation model in the shipping industry has moved beyond simple product transactions, shifting towards deep, mutually beneficial partnerships centered on concrete energy-saving commitments, long-term service agreements, and jointly built technical credibility. Coatings are transforming from a consumable into a key asset influencing a vessel's future competitiveness and compliance.