Xiangjiang Paint Positions Itself in the Trillion-Yuan Marine Economy, Conquering Two Major Marine Engineering Coating Technologies

The Fourth Session of the 14th National People’s Congress opened on March 5 at the Great Hall of the People. Premier Li Qiang delivered the Government Work Report on behalf of the State Council. In the report, the government for the first time proposed “strengthening the overall planning of major bays and making the marine industry stronger, better, and larger,” once again emphasizing the inclusion of the marine economy in the national development strategy.

In 2025, China’s marine gross domestic product reached approximately 11 trillion yuan, doubling from 5 trillion yuan in 2012. The ocean is becoming a vital strategic space for cultivating new quality productive forces and driving economic structural upgrading. The national “15th Five-Year Plan” proposals list “expanding the marine economy” as a standalone key task for the first time, further highlighting the core position of the ocean in the overall development landscape.

In this roaring “blue engine,” marine protective coatings, serving as the “invisible armor” for marine equipment, are ushering in unprecedented market opportunities and technical challenges. However, marine engineering equipment operates long-term in high-salt-spray and highly corrosive marine environments, imposing stringent requirements on the performance of protective coatings. As a leading Chinese coatings enterprise, Xiangjiang Paint is actively seizing development opportunities brought by the marine economy through technological innovation.

Xiangjiang Paint Technology Co., Ltd., Hunan Jinge New Materials Co., Ltd., and Shenzhen Shenneng Marine Energy Co., Ltd. have recently publicly applied for a patent titled “A High-Solids Epoxy Glass Flake Heavy-Duty Anti-Corrosion Coating for Offshore Wind Power Foundations.” According to the patent abstract, the epoxy glass flake coating can be applied in a single thick coat, offering excellent adhesion, hardness, abrasion resistance, and impact resistance. It also features fast drying, superior chemical corrosion resistance, seawater immersion resistance, and cathodic disbonding resistance, meeting the performance requirements of NORSOK M-501:2022 (7th Edition) *Surface Preparation and Protective Coatings*.

At the same time, Xiangjiang Paint Technology Co., Ltd. has also recently publicly applied for another patent: “An Epoxy Curing Agent for Marine Heavy-Duty Anti-Corrosion Coatings and Its Preparation Method.” The patent abstract indicates that this epoxy curing agent, modified through addition reactions, can be used with various epoxy resins. The resulting coatings combine hardness and flexibility, with excellent abrasion resistance, acid and alkali resistance, and anti-corrosion performance, meeting the needs of different marine heavy-duty anti-corrosion scenarios. In addition, when paired with epoxy resins, the curing agent provides good workability, fast drying, and a long pot life. It is environmentally friendly with low VOC content, offers excellent anti-sagging properties, and allows thick single-coat applications without cracking or shrinkage, with minimal impact on performance. It is particularly suitable for the marine heavy-duty anti-corrosion field, where thick films and high performance are required.

As the marine economy becomes a new engine for national economic growth, the market demand for marine heavy-duty anti-corrosion coatings — the “protective armor” of marine equipment — continues to rise. As the only Chinese company among the world’s top 20 industrial coatings enterprises, Xiangjiang Paint is accelerating its layout in the marine heavy-duty anti-corrosion coatings market by leveraging its profound technological accumulation and full-industry-chain advantages, embarking on a new blue-ocean journey.

Xiangjiang Paint’s expansion in the marine market is driven by technological innovation at its core. Previously, the company jointly established a high-performance anti-corrosion coatings R&D center with Sinopec Hunan Petrochemical, focusing on the application of cutting-edge materials such as graphene and polyaniline. The specialized anti-corrosion coatings for storage tanks developed there can operate stably for more than 15 years in high-salt and high-alkali environments. In November last year, the company successfully passed the certificate renewal audit by the China Classification Society (CCS), with its marine coatings production capabilities meeting national technical standards. This enables it to provide high-quality protection for critical areas such as ship hulls, offshore platforms, and offshore wind power facilities, laying a solid technical and qualification foundation for its entry into the high-end marine coatings market.

The blueprint for the marine economy has been drawn. Marine protective coatings, as the “protective barrier” for marine equipment, stand at a new historical starting point. As the marine economy continues to develop, Xiangjiang Paint will continue to be guided by technological innovation and oriented by customer needs, deepening its presence in the marine heavy-duty anti-corrosion coatings market and contributing its expertise to China’s goal of building a strong maritime nation.

(Source: Coatings World)