Hempaguard milestone

The product was launched two years ago during London International Shipping Week 2013 after a five-year development programme, and is Hempel’s first product to use its proprietary ActiGuard technology that integrates silicone-hydrogel and full diffusion control of biocides in a single coating. So confident is Hempel of its performance that the company offers the industry’s first performance satisfaction guarantee.

To date, Hempel claims that feedback from customers confirms that their vessels have remained significantly cleaner, and for longer, than they’ve experienced with any other antifouling product.

Claes Skat-Roerdam, Marketing Manager, Fouling Control, Hempel A/S commented: “We are delighted with the success of Hempaguard, it really is a strong endorsement of the protection properties of our product. The combination of silicone-hydrogel and biocide science has revolutionised antifouling technology to deliver excellent fouling resistance – including up to 120 days during idle periods – plus fuel savings of between four and six per cent on average. The fact that more than 350 vessels have now been coated with Hempaguard proves the value of our new coating”.

Hempel has much to celebrate this year with 2015 marking its 100 year anniversary, and the company delivering a record net profit of EUR 71 million in 2014. To mark this continued success Hempel went one step further in July by launching a new brand identity, renewing its drive to offer complete coating solutions for its customers. The Helix, as Hempel’s new logo is known, symbolises the dynamic layers and motion of mixing coatings.

Pioneer Jørgen Christian Hempel founded the company in Denmark in 1915, with a vision to protect man-made structures from corrosion and fouling. He created a company which developed the world’s first antifouling coating for ships’ hulls in 1917.

By Jake Frith