F e at ur e 4 | P AI N T S & C O A TI N G S


Ar e bi o ci d e-fr e e c o ati n gs t h e m ost i m p ort a nt d e v el o p m e nt si n c e t h e T B T b a n ?


Ni p p o n P ai nt M ari n e’s bi o ci d e-fr e e a ntif o uli n g p ai nt, A q u at err as, is r e c k o n e d b y its m a k ers t o b e t h e bi g g est a d v a n c e i n m ari n e c o ati n gs si n c e t h e w orl d wi d e b a n o n Tri b ut ylti n


A q u at e r r a s i s als o, p e r h a p s, a


d e v el o p m e nt t h at pr e- e m pts a n y f ut ur e r e visi o ns t o M A R P O L.


C ert ai nl y, gi v e n i n cr e asi n g p u bli c s cr uti n y of t h e s hi p pi n g i n d ustr y’s e n vir o n m e nt al f o ot p ri nt, p a rti c ul a rl y r e s o n a nt i n t h e di visi v e a n d


s urr o u n di n g s cr u b b er w as h w at er, is


f e asi bl e t h at h ull c o ati n gs will als o fi n d t h e ms el v es i n t h e I M O cr oss h airs. Of c o urs e, c o p p er a n d ot h er bi o ci d e-


c o nt ai ni n g c o ati n gs ar e u nli k el y t o b e b a n n e d a n y ti m e s o o n, b ut w h at Ni p p o n P ai nt M ari n e h as a c hi e v e d wit h t his gr o u n d- br e a ki n g p ai nt is t o s h o w t h e i n d ustr y t h at bi of o uli n g p erf or m a n c e c a n b e a c hi e v e d wit h o ut d etri m e nt t o t h e e n vir o n m e nt. “ Ty pi c all y, s hi ps’ a ntif o uli n g p ai nts h a v e


c o nt ai n e d s o m e f or m of bi o ci d e – c o p p er, tri b ut ylti n ( T B T), c o- bi o ci d es. B ut t h e us e of bi o ci d es t o d a y is stri ctl y c o ntr oll e d b y b ot h n ati o n al a n d i nt er n ati o n al r e g ul ati o ns s u c h as t h e B P R i n t h e E U. A n d w hil e t h er e ar e n o i m m e di at e pl a ns t o f urt h er r e g ul at e t h e us e of a p pr o v e d bi o ci d es, w e c a n n ot r ul e o ut t h e p ossi bilit y t h at c o p p er i n a ntif o uli n g will b e re g ul at e d i n t h e n e ar f ut ure,” s a ys Ni p p o n P ai nt M ari n e dire ct or J o h n Dre w. “ We h a v e al w a ys


l o o k e d t o d e v el o p


s yst e ms t h at g o b e y o n d t h e re g ul ati o ns. A n d wit h A q u at err as o ur c h e mists h a v e a c hi e v e d a tr ul y e ff e cti v e h ull c o ati n g wit h l o n g-t er m, s elf- p olis hi n g a ntif o uli n g c a p a biliti es b ut wit h o ut t h e us e of bi o ci d es.”


P ol y m eri c m at eri al R at h e r t h a n u si n g h e a v y bi o ci d al pi g m e nts, a cti v e i n gr e di e nts or sili c o n e, A q u at e r r a s i n c o r p o r at e s a p ol y m e ri c m at eri al d esi g n e d t o pr e v e nt bl o o d cl ots d u ri n g t h e c r e ati o n of artifi ci al h e arts a n d bl o o d v ess els, a n d pr e v e nt bi ol o gi c al s u bst a n c es a d h eri n g t o s urf a c es. Usi n g t his t e c h n ol o g y i n m ari n e p ai nts


h as all o w e d Ni p p o n P ai nt’s p at e nt- pr ot e ct e d mi cr o- d o m ai n S P C a ntif o uli n g m at eri al,


3 2


S elf p oli s hi n g “ A q u at e r r as c a n a c hi e v e a r e m ar k a bl y gl o ss y a n d s m o ot h fil m


i s a c hi e v e d,”


i n c o n cl usi v e d e b at e it


A q u at err a s b ei n g a p pli e d t o t h e cr ui s e s hi p Ai d a C ar a


b as e d o n a c aref ull y f or m ul at e d mi x of t h es e h y dr o p hili c a n d h y dr o p h o bi c c o m p o n e nts, t o c o nti n u o usl y s elf- p olis h. It als o e x p os es a cti v e mi cr o- d o m ai n str u ct ures t o s e a w at er t o pre v e nt bi of o uli n g b uil d- u p. I niti al m ar k et i nt er est i n t h e c o ati n g is


i n di c ati v e of t h e c o ati n g’s wi d e p ot e nti al, h o w e v er, as wit h a n y n e w t e c h n ol o g y, m ar k et t a k e u p is sl o w, e x a c er b at e d b y t h e i m p a ct of t h e C o vi d- 1 9 crisis o n s o m e s hi p pi n g s e ct ors. N e v ert h el ess, A q u at err as alr e a d y h as


a n u m b er of r ef er e n c es a n d, t o d at e, t h e c o m p a n y h as f ull a p pli c ati o ns o n t w o c r ui s e s hi p s,


Ai d a C ar a a n d C ar ni v al


Se ns ati o n , of w hi c h t h e l att er w as a p pli e d i n Ja n u ar y. fhere are als o test p atc hes o n s e ver al ot her vess els. Si n c e 2 0 1 6 Ni p p o n P ai nt M ari n e h as


t est e d t h e c o ati n g o n o v er 2 0 s hi ps i n cl u di n g t a n k ers, l ar g e c o nt ai n er s hi ps, f erri es as w ell as cr uis e s hi ps fl yi n g t h e C u n ar d, R C L, Dis n e y, N C L C ost a, AI D A, a n d Pri n c ess Cr uis es fl a gs. “ All p at c h es a p pli e d h a v e p erf or m e d v er y w ell t o d at e,” Dre w s a ys. Asi d e fr o m t h e cr uis e s e ct or, t h e c o ati n g


als o h as r e c ei v e d first r ef er e n c es o n t w o s m all J a p a n es e- b uilt b ul k ers. O p er ati o n al d at a fr o m t h es e v ess els h a v e s h o w n t h at us e of t h e c o ati n g r e d u c e d s hi p’s dr a g (fri cti o n al resist a n c e) a n d, c o ns e q u e ntl y, f u el c o ns u m pti o n, b y u p t o 1 0 %.


s a ys Ni k o Ya m a n o u e, dir e ct or, Ni p p o n P ai nt. “ T hi s s m o ot h n e s s i s f u rt h e r e n h a n c e d b y its i n-s er vi c e s elf- p olis hi n g. U nli k e sili c o n e t y p e s, A q u at e r r as c a n b e a p pli e d si m pl y wit h o ut t h e n e e d f or c o stl y a n d ti m e- c o n s u mi n g m a s ki n g. Aft e r a p pli c ati o n, s u rf a c e r o u g h n e s s m e as ur e m e nts w er e as l o w as 4 0 µ m a n d a v er a g e d 6 3 µ m, b ut si n c e A q u at err as is s elf- p olis hi n g t h e o v er all h ull r o u g h n ess s h o ul d b e c o m e e v e n l o w er as t h e v ess el c o nti n u es o n its us u al o p er ati o ns. R e g ul ar bi o ci d e c o nt ai ni n g S P C’s g e n er all y h a v e a n A v e r a g e H ull R o u g h n ess ( A H R) of ar o u n d 1 0 0 µ m.” C o m m e nti n g o n t h e hi g h er pri c e f or


A q u at er r as, c o m p ar e d t o r e g ul ar h ull c o ati n gs, Ya m a n o u e s a ys c osts d o c o nti n u e t o d ri v e pr o c u r e m e nt d e cisi o ns a n d r e m ai n t h e k e y c o nsi d er ati o n al o n g wit h p erf or m a n c e. “ B ut t h e i nt er est is t h er e. Th e cr uis e i n d ustr y h as r e all y h o n e d i n o n t his c o ati n g b e c a us e of its gr e e n cr e d e nti als. Th e s e ct or s e es h u g e p ot e nti al i n A q u at err as.” Ni p p o n P ai nt is a cti v el y m ar k eti n g t h e


c o ati n g, b ut w h e n cr uis es hi ps are b ei n g l ai d u p, t h e s c o p e of o p p ort u nit y h as retr a ct e d. “ We d o h a v e a n u m b er of t e nt ati v e


or d ers, c or o n a vir us crisis d e p e n d e nt. B ut t h e cr uis e c o m p a ni es n e v er pl a n n e d t o f a c e s u c h a s c e n ari o s o t h eir r es p o ns e i n s u c h a s h ort ti m e h as b e e n r a pi d b ut p ot e nti all y v er y c ostl y. D es pit e t h e i n v est m e nts m a d e u n d er w at er b y t h e cr uis e li n es i n t er ms of h ull r e g ul ar m ai nt e n a n c e d uri n g t h e l ast f e w y e ars, h ull c o ati n gs a n d t h eir c o n diti o n is n ot t h e t o p pri orit y w h e n pl a ci n g t h e s hi ps i nt o l a y- u p m o d e,” s a ys Dr e w. I n g e n e r al,


l a y - u p s i n s u n - ki s s e d


w ar m er w at ers will pr o vi d e t h e bi g g est c h all e n g e f or t h e s hi ps’ u n d er w at er ar e as as f o uli n g or g a nis ms g e n er all y gr o w m or e r a pi dl y, h e a d ds. N A


T h e N a v al Ar c hit e ct J u n e 2 0 2 0


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