Coatings World - June 2012

New Benchmark
To Prove Coatings
Performance

Strong academic research and firm ship operating evidence of the correlation between applying specific fouling control coatings and reducing fuel consumption and CO2 emissions finds further backing.

Courtesy of International Paint

International Paint and BMT Argoss have come together and will utilize the new BMT Smart Services system to verify, through independent monitoring and software analysis, the contribution to vessel performance, fuel savings and reduced emissions made by International Paint’s highest performance fouling control coatings, Intersmooth SPC (self polishing copolymer) antifouling and Intersleek foul release coating.

Understanding hull roughness is an important factor in understanding ship performance, according to International Paint. Any increase in hull roughness will increase the hull frictional resistance which will either require additional power and fuel to maintain vessel speed or, if maintaining constant power, will result in speed loss and longer voyage times.

International Paint claims fuel and emissions savings for its Intersmooth SPC coating, citing evidence gathered from over 5,000 vessel drydock and inspections for fouling rating, combined with AHR (average hull roughness) measurements.

Behind this specific argument, the International Paint Data-
plan system has coating details of over 1.7 billion DWT, repre-
senting almost 200,000 drydockings that allow antifouling
performance to be predicted and assessed. Results are derived
from analyzing the in-docking condition of a vessel, its coating
performance and assessing the type, severity and extent of any
fouling, if present. In conjunction with the vessel’s trading pat-
tern, operational profile and drydocking interval, an antifouling
performance rating can be calculated.

Full back-up

International Paint also cites the report, “Energy and GHG Emissions Savings Analysis of Fluoropolymer Foul Release Hull Coating,” by Professor James Corbett’s Energy & Environmental Research Associates. The report is dated the 10th December 2010.

The report analyzed the latest fuel consumption data of three vessel types coated with Intersleek 900; Prem Divya, a single engine 21,126 horsepower (HP) tanker, Ikuna, a twin engine 3,400 HP bulker and five identical post panamax container vessels, three of which were coated with SPC antifoulings and two with Intersleek 900.