Op-Ed: Contractors asked for a different conversation—so the industry built one

The maritime coatings industry is facing pressures that can no longer be addressed in isolation. Shipyards are operating under tighter schedules. Fleets are aging. Performance expectations for corrosion control continue to rise. At the same time, contractors are navigating workforce shortages that directly affect quality, safety, and asset readiness.

Across maritime communities, one message has become increasingly clear: contractors need a place for real, practical conversations, focused on how work is actually performed in the field.

That need led the Association for Materials Protection and Performance (AMPP) to create the Maritime Coatings Contractor Forum, to be held on February 3–4, 2026, in Virginia Beach, Va. The forum was designed in response to sustained feedback from contractors, shipyards, and asset owners seeking a more direct, problem-solving approach to workforce development, surface preparation, coating application, and performance expectations.

An Industry at an Inflection Point

The maritime sector is experiencing the convergence of three critical forces: workforce shortages, accelerated operational timelines, and increasingly stringent coating performance requirements. When these forces are misaligned, the consequences are immediate and costly—coating failures, rework, and reduced asset availability.

Corrosion control in this environment is no longer a background maintenance concern. It is a readiness issue with direct implications for safety, reliability, and national defense.

Contractors sit at the center of that reality. They translate specifications, standards, and schedules into real-world outcomes. Yet too often, contractors are brought into project discussions after key decisions have already been made, limiting their ability to influence performance outcomes upstream.

The Maritime Coatings Contractor Forum was built to address that disconnect.

Workforce Readiness and Coating Performance Are Linked

One of the most persistent challenges in maritime coatings is the assumption that workforce development and coating performance are separate issues. In practice, they are inseparable.

As Cassandra Frisbee, superintendent at Newport News Shipbuilding, has noted from her experience progressing through the trade:

“We’re bringing in people who are willing to learn, but experience takes time, and schedules don’t slow down. When coating failures happen, it almost always goes back to surface preparation and understanding the why behind the process.”

That gap between training and execution is magnified under schedule pressure. From the Navy support side, Anthony Mangona of Precise Systems, a coatings inspector and instructor, sees the same challenge from a different vantage point.

“We’re asking sailors to step outside their primary roles and perform corrosion control to industry standards, often within very limited timeframes,” Mangona said.

Both perspectives point to the same conclusion: improving coating performance requires a coordinated approach to training, communication, and realistic expectations across contractors, asset owners, and oversight entities.

Contractor Inclusion Is Not Optional

Contractor inclusion has become a recurring theme in industry discussions, but inclusion must go beyond representation. Effective inclusion means integrating contractors into planning, communication, and decision-making processes early enough to influence outcomes.

“Contractor inclusion looks like being meshed into the entire system, understanding what’s happening around you, building rapport with government teams, and communicating early when issues arise,” Mangona said.

When contractors understand where their work fits within the broader project scope, execution improves. When they do not, shortcuts often emerge, not by intent, but by necessity, and those shortcuts frequently resurface later as coating failures.

A Working Forum, Not a Traditional Conference

The Maritime Coatings Contractor Forum was intentionally structured as a working forum rather than a conventional conference. There is no exhibit hall and no passive lecture format. Instead, the event emphasizes facilitated discussion, real-world problem-solving, and direct engagement among contractors, shipyards, asset owners, and suppliers.

Attendance is expected to include 200 to 300 participants representing painting contractors, Military Sealift Command, Norfolk Naval Shipyard, Huntington Ingalls Industries–Newport News Shipbuilding, BAE Systems, coating manufacturers, workforce councils, universities, maritime associations and engineering partners.

A key element of the forum is the Contractor Club, an invitation-only networking experience that fosters structured, high-value conversations among contractors, asset owners, and suppliers. The goal is to replace informal, chance interactions with purposeful engagement that leads to clearer expectations and stronger working relationships.

Participation for maritime painting contractors and asset owners is offered at no cost, an intentional decision to ensure that those closest to the work can participate fully.

The forum’s structure and accessibility to contractors and asset owners were made possible through deliberate industry support aligned with its purpose. Participating sponsors did not ask for a platform to sell, but for a seat at the table to listen, recognizing that lasting improvements in maritime coatings performance depend on better alignment between contractors, asset owners, and the broader industry ecosystem.

• Apellix 
• Av-DEC 
• Corrosion Innovations 
• Ervin Industries 
• PPG Protective & Marine Coatings 
• ADI 
• GC Laser Systems, Inc. 
• Black Beauty 

Moving Toward a More Aligned Industry

The challenges facing maritime coatings are not confined to one shipyard or region. They are systemic and shared across the sector. Addressing them requires open dialogue, honest assessment of workforce realities, and a willingness to align technical standards with execution constraints.

“When everyone understands where their work fits in the bigger picture, jobs run better,” Frisbee said. “That alignment is what leads to quality outcomes.”

The Maritime Coatings Contractor Forum represents a step toward that alignment, providing a space where contractors are not just present, but meaningfully engaged in shaping the future of maritime corrosion control.

For an industry where coating performance directly affects safety, cost, and readiness, that conversation is not optional. It is overdue.

Jennifer Merck is the vice president of maritime and defense for Association for Materials Protection and Performance (AMPP).

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