Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Lloyd’s Approves SSPC Coatings Inspector Program

SSPC: The Society for Protective Coatings has announced that effective December 1,
2009, Lloyd’s Register, the world’s largest commercial shipping classification society,
has approved SSPC’s Protective Coatings Inspector (PCI) program as equivalent to
NACE Coating Inspector Level 2 and FROSIO Inspector Level III.

This approval is another milestone for the PCI program, which was launched by SSPC in
2007 and gained similar approval from the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) in 2008.
“The PCI is an important program for the industry because it gives professional
inspectors another avenue to gain a critical certification that is required on many projects
around the world,” stated Bill Shoup, Executive Director of SSPC. “The need for high
quality, affordable professional training continues to expand as employers demand a
better trained work force and infrastructure owners seek to improve the performance of
their protective coating projects.”

Added Steve Roetter, P.E., President of SSPC and Managing Principal, Tank Industry
Consultants, “As global standards increasingly focus on the importance of coatings to the
protection of key assets, PCI provides professionals in emerging markets with the ability
and opportunity to put their experience to work and gain certification from an
internationally recognized organization.”

The PCI program is an intensive one-week program designed to thoroughly train

individuals in the proper methods of inspecting surface preparation and the installation of
industrial and marine protective coatings and lining systems on a wide variety of steel
structures. It is one of four inspector program offered by SSPC; it joins the Bridge
Coatings Inspector (BCI) program, Concrete Coatings Inspector (CCI) program, and
NAVSEA Basic Paint Inspector (NBPI) course in SSPC’s comprehensive set of coatings
inspector certification programs.

Lloyd’s Register has accredited the PCI level 2 training program with equivalent status
under the direction of the International Association of Classification Societies (IACS)
Procedural Requirement No. 34 (PR34), which addresses “Application of the IMO
Performance Standard for Protective Coatings (PSPC)” and UI SC223, which addresses
“Application of SOLAS Regulation II-1/3-2 Performance Standard for Protective
Coatings (PSPC) for Dedicated Seawater Ballast Tanks in All Types of Ships and
Double-side Skin Spaces of Bulk Carriers.” To achieve approval, SSPC had to undergo a
thorough audit of the course contents, course deliverance, and SSPC’s quality
management systems. Following approval, Lloyd’s Register Senior Coating Specialist for
EMEA, Bill Cramman, presented an Accreditation Certificate to Bill Shoup.

The qualification is valid for all Delegates who have successfully completed the SSPC
PCI Training Program level 2 (certification level), and who have a minimum of 2 years’
experience working as a coatings inspector.
The IACS, formed in September 1968, is a gathering of ten classification societies that
promote the safety and protection of the environment of ships and offshore structures.
One of the primary functions of IACS is to develop guidance documents for the
International Maritime Organization (IMO). The IMO’s main function is to coordinate
international maritime safety and related practices. More information on IACS can be
found at www.iacs.org.uk.

More information on IMO can be found at www.imo.org.

In addition to Lloyd’s and ABS, SSPC training and certification programs have been
recognized by other agencies such as The International Association for Continuing
Education and Training (IACET) and The American Institute of Architects (AIA).

Based in Pittsburgh, PA, SSPC is the only non-profit association with the sole mission of
promoting and supporting the use of protective and marine coatings for corrosion
protection. The association develops consensus standards; provides training and
certification programs for contractors, inspectors, and other coatings personnel; and
issues a wide variety of publications on protective and marine coatings. For more
information on SSPC, visit www.sspc.org.