International, part of AkzoNobel, presented at LatinCORR 2025 its intumescent coatings for passive fire protection and corrosion control. During a recent interview, Gerardo Rodríguez Garzón, Sales and Specification Manager for Marine, Protective and Yacht Coatings, was able to share with the Inspenet team the pillars of this proposal.
International works in sectors where exposure to corrosion and severe conditions is constant, such as offshore platforms, refineries, ports and hydroelectric plants, which are some of the scenarios where industrial assets face highly corrosive environments, demanding high performance solutions to guarantee their structural and operational integrity.
What are intumescent coatings?
Intumescent coatings are passive fire protection systems that react to extreme temperatures. When a fire occurs, these coatings expand and form a carbonaceous foam that acts as an insulating barrier, reducing heat transfer to the structural steel, thus delaying the loss of steel strength and ensuring sufficient time for personnel evacuation and emergency operations.
There are variants designed for different types of fire:
- Water based / cellulosic: To protect structures against typical fires in buildings (wood, paper, textiles).
- Epoxy-based: Specialized for harsh industrial environments (offshore, petrochemical) and designed to withstand hydrocarbon fires, which generate heat more quickly.
Chartek: passive fire protection
Rodriguez Garzon explained how Chartek coatings have high performance in offshore and petrochemical industries during his interview. This is a brand of intumescent epoxy coatings developed by International Paint (part of AkzoNobel), specialized in passive fire protection for steel structures exposed to harsh environments, such as offshore installations, petrochemical and marine platforms,
Chartek coatings are especially effective in maintaining structural integrity during emergencies in these environments, since in hydrocarbon fires, temperatures reach more than 1,000 °C in minutes and steel loses approximately 80% of its mechanical strength at about 500 °C.
Intelligent maintenance and extended life cycles
Another of International’s strengths is the ability to offer its intumescent and anticorrosive coating systems adapted to different maintenance cycles, with options that guarantee protection from 7 to more than 25 years, depending on customer needs and environmental conditions.
This is something they can achieve because from the design phase of the asset, the company collaborates with engineers and owners to specify the ideal coating systems, optimizing durability and facilitating compliance with structural integrity plans over time.
Technological innovation: AI applied to maintenance
The use of artificial intelligence is also present in International’s operations, through data collection and analysis of asset condition data. This allows the company to recommend solutions that match not only the duration of protection required, but also the scheduled downtime for maintenance, maximizing efficiency and reducing downtime.
International at LatinCORR 2025
The proposal of International, represented at LatinCORR 2025 by Gerardo Rodríguez Garzón, combines technology, environmental commitment and expertise in passive fire protection and corrosion control. Thanks to solutions such as Chartek intumescent coatings, the company contributes to maintaining the safety, sustainability and operational efficiency of industrial assets in challenging environments.
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Source: Inspenet.
