Not really a way round it, though, you'll still have ST in the processor, but in a different place.
When I worked at a System Integrators, often clients would insist/demand Ladder only, and putting AOI code in any other language would depend on whether he is paying for the privilege of viewing it.
But, if you are using an AOI that is locked up, and treated as a "black box", then it can be in any language, since he won't have access to it.