Demand rises for Nippon antifouling
Cruise ships are ending lengthy lay-ups with hulls completely free of biofouling thanks to Nippon Paint Marine’s antifouling system.
The company reports that a pair of cruise ships treated with a full application of AQUATERRAS have returned to service following an enforced 18 month anchorage with hulls in conditions that exceeded expectations.
“Some cruise ships had so much fouling when they started operating again that they suffered vibration as well as significant drag and excess fuel-consumption,” said John Drew, director, Nippon Paint Marine in Europe.
“However, despite extensive idling and static operation in warm and temperate waters, this coating kept the hulls of these ships extremely clean,” he added.
The biocide free coating was introduced to the market in November 2017 and Nippon Paint Marine is now having to up production to meet increasing demand.
Ships coated with silicone-based paints, hard coatings and regular self-polishing coatings, including the company’s own A-LF-Sea range, were unable to compete with the performance of the AQUATERRAS coated hulls, says the company, with extensive growth build up commonplace during the pandemic hiatus.
Aside from the fuel and emissions reducing potential from a ship with zero fouling, AQUATERRAS contains no active biocides. “We anticipate it will become the benchmark eco-friendly antifouling, allowing ship-owners to reduce underwater cleaning, save fuel, lower carbon emissions and mitigate the ecological damage from biofouling and species migration,” said Mr Drew.
The company is reporting interest not only from major cruise brands but also from some of the world’s largest container lines and navies.
