The attendees were not disappointed. The vessel's hull was in perfect condition and had retained only a light biofilm layer that was easily washed way with high pressure water-jetting. No trace whatsoever of fouling was left and the coating was restored to an as new condition.

The Belgian Navy was looking for a non-toxic, yet economical alternative to existing conventional anti-fouling systems. Not happy with the performance of conventional products, the Navy took a positive approach to dealing with pollution problems and researched the alternatives. At the beginning of 2004 they decided to go for Ecospeed.

The coating was first applied in March and for six months the Aster spent long periods in port, during which time it naturally accumulated fouling. Before it went out for NATO operations, an underwater cleaning was carried out, providing the first test of Ecospeed?s efficiency.

In less than one day the cleaning was completed. All fouling was removed and the coating was left fully intact.

From September to December the ship was operational five days a week on NATO exercises, with a short two week layover in the middle of this period. These were ideal conditions for showing whether Ecospeed would work, combining periods of action with inactivity for a balance that would show whether fouling would attach and adhere to the hull or whether the coating would demonstrate its protective qualities.

On 15 December the Aster was drydocked in the navy base facilities in Zeebrugge. Its hull was found to be in perfect condition and the light biofilm on the hull was easily cleaned off with water jets in just a few hours leaving no trace of fouling.

This result compared with other vessels that have now gone through operational periods, also with excellent results. The Loodsboot 1 , Loodsboot 6 and Ter Streep were drydocked for inspection after periods of between 10 and 18 months in water and their hulls were each time found to be in excellent condition each time. Minor fouling was easily washed away whilst the state of the coating was as good as the day it had been applied. The drydock inspection showed that a durable hull protection system maintained mechanically is a more than valid alternative to the existing chemical paint systems.

MJ Information No: 20318