Coatings World - June 2016

convert existing vessels from a biocidal antifouling to a premium, biocide-free advanced hull coating such as AkzoNobel’s Intersleek – part of its International brand – which is proven to reduce fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions.

On average, each of the 16 vessels included in the first issue achieved savings of just over 1,250 tons of fuel and 4,000 tons of carbon dioxide per year, resulting in the award of 126,785 credits by the Gold Standard Foundation. That number is expected to increase as more vessels continue to enrol in the scheme.

“This is a tremendous moment
both for AkzoNobel and the custom-
ers involved,” said Oscar Wezenbeek,
Managing Director of AkzoNobel’s
Marine Coatings business. “With the car-
bon credits program, we are demonstrat-
ing leadership and innovation in driving
sustainability.”
Based on the average 10 percent
carbon dioxide savings recorded in this
first carbon credits issue, the full fleet
of over 4,500 vessels currently using
Intersleek have already achieved total an-
nual reductions in carbon emissions of
around 17 million tons of carbon dioxide.
That figure represents around 1.5 percent
of the global emissions from shipping, as
estimated by the 3rd IMO Greenhouse
Gas Study.

“We have long known that our
Intersleek coatings can contribute to re-
ducing carbon emissions from the ship-
ping industry,” added Trevor Solomon,
Intersleek business manager and manag-
er of the carbon credits program. “With
the award of the first carbon credits, we
now have independent validation and
verification of those fuel and emission
savings by respected auditors and the
Gold Standard Foundation.”
The issue of the carbon credits fol-
lowed a rigorous assessment of the
scheme, which included validation and
verification of the 16 participating vessels’
fuel consumption data by an independent
auditor, RINA Services and the Gold
Standard Foundation, in line with the
United Nations Framework Convention
on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Clean
Development Mechanism.

AkzoNobel is currently in discussions with the enrolled ship owners regarding sale and offsetting options for their credits.

Axalta Researcher Receives Prestigious Electrocoating Industry George E.F. Brewer Award at ECOAT16 Joseph Subda, Axalta Coating Systems senior product specialist, received the Electrocoat Association’s prestigious George E.F. Brewer Award at the ECOAT16 Conference in recognition of his achievements and long-time commitment to the E-Coat industry.

The George E.F. Brewer Award was established in 1990 by the Electrocoat

Association to recognize individuals who
have made outstanding contributions to
the field of electrocoating in the catego-
ries of paint and process technology ap-
plication or technology promotion.
Electrocoating is a coating process that
deposits organic coating materials onto a
substrate using an electrical charge, while
submerged in a tank. Electrocoating is
used in a variety of industries due to its
ability to coat substrates with complex
shapes including automobile vehicle bod-
ies, parts and assembled components and
those used in many industrial applications
as well. Electrocoat is designed to provide
lasting protection against corrosion.
Subda also presented a paper on the
“submersible data acquisition unit” (sub).
The sub is a device that measures and re-
cords alternating current (AC) and direct
current (DC) voltage at various locations
on parts traveling through an electrocoat
tank. Data from the sub can be used to
determine system conditions, optimize
quality and reduce production costs.
“Traditionally, E-coat tank monitor-
ing devices only measure total output of
voltage and current at the rectifier/anode
and the average temperature of the E-coat
tank,” said Subda. “These measurements
Use grind gages more consistently.

Little Joe Industries offers the ADM Automatic Draw-Down Machine for use with grind gages. The ADM automates the draw down process controlling scraper angle, speed, and force. Since these aspects are no longer operator dependent your grind gage draw-downs will be more consistent while requiring less operator training and supervision.