International Journal of Scientific Research and Engineering Development

Protective and marine coatings in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) are no longer operating within a stable design envelope. Between 2014 and 2024, selected GCC oil and gas hubs experienced increasing thermal stress, with reported warming indicators generally in the range of approximately 0.3-0.5 °C per decade depending on location, dataset and method. Coating performance is also affected by high steel temperature, intense ultraviolet radiation, saline aerosol, humidity-driven wetting, industrial pollutants, abrasive dust and occasional short-duration flooding. This paper consolidates GCC exposure-screening data from selected oil and gas hubs with standards-based coating engineering to develop a climate-adapted specification framework. The screening suggests that Abu Dhabi and Kuwait City generally align with C3-C4 atmospheric severity when strong UV and dust modifiers are considered, Dammam and Muscat align with C4-C5 marine-industrial exposure, while Doha and Manama approach C5 conditions under combined humidity, chloride and pollutant loading. Offshore, splash-zone and shipyard locations may approach CX severity where chloride deposition, wetting and mechanical damage are sustained. A central finding is that surface cleanliness limits commonly used in project specifications, including low soluble salt targets around 20 mg/m² (2 µg/cm²) equivalent, remain technically desirable but are increasingly difficult to maintain in GCC field conditions because freshly prepared steel can be rapidly recontaminated by chloride aerosol, dust, humidity cycles and construction delays. The paper therefore proposes a balanced specification route: retain strict cleaning, repeated soluble salt testing and short coating windows as the default, but qualify surfacetolerant or chloride-tolerant coating systems at defined higher residual salt levels only where supported by manufacturer evidence, cyclic corrosion testing, adhesion performance, rust-creep limits and technical approval. The framework links each GCC climate stressor to likely coating failure mechanisms and specification controls, including zinc-rich primers, high-build lamellar epoxy barriers, UV-stable topcoats, stripe coating, edge retention, cyclic qualification and local exposure-rack feedback.

Dr. Vijesh Vijayan,"Climate Change Impacts (2014-2024) on Protective and Marine Coating Specifications for GCC Oil and Gas Infrastructure: From Fixed Soluble Salt Limits to Climate-Adapted Performance Qualification" International Journal of Scientific Research and Engineering Development, V9(3): Page(1805-1820) May-June 2026. ISSN: 2581-7175. www.ijsred.com. Published by Scientific and Academic Research Publishing.