Antifouling challenges

in new building

Antifouling challenges in new building; a growing problem in a changing world

The challenge of controlling fouling build-up during the new build outfitting period, is one vessel owners and shipyards share. And in some ways, solving it has never mattered more.

Bulkers, container vessels and LPG carriers can sit idle for up to 4 months. For tanker vessels like VLCCs and COTs, 3-4 months is typical. For LNGCs, idle time stretches to 7 to 9 months, or even up to a year in some shipyards. A drillship too can sit for a whole year during outfitting, while the hull coating battles to resist fouling build-up.


A growing challenge

In some regions such as Korea, climate change is making the challenge greater still. Warming waters encourage fouling growth on the hulls of idle vessels, leading to the
need for the highest performance biocides to combat the problem.

Owners of new build vessels naturally expect their purchase to be delivered with an optimally fuel-efficiency hull, and shipyards want to hand over the vessel in perfect
condition, without extra restorative work. It’s in the interests of all that the hull coating delivers excellent performance under these increasingly tough conditions.


From quayside to sea

In a world where every new vessel should perform at its peak, Hempel believes advanced antifouling coatings have never mattered more.

The need to combat challenging conditions with the flexibility to deliver the best antifouling outcome during outfitting and when the vessel is in service, requires coatings with the right blend of characteristics and capabilities. To deliver this, coatings must offer biocide formulations to protect against the broadest range of hard and soft fouling organisms, as well as technologies to ensure exceptional application properties and mechanical strength.

Hempel has incorporated patented microfibre technology across its full antifouling range, combining best-in-class mechanical strength with the ability to apply with greater thickness per coat to make application faster and easier.

Such coating innovation is displayed in the Globic 9500 series. Globic 9500S features an industry-leading smart biocide package tailored to deliver long-lasting protection against fouling during even the longest outfitting periods. In partnership with Globic 9500M, which has a biocide package tailored to protect vessels in service, the Globic 9500 series works to give operators what they need – outstanding speed loss control equating to significant fuel savings, rapid ROI and lower CO2 emissions.


Vessels can sit idle in quayside waters for a very long time, leaving freshly painted hulls exposed to the most severe hard and soft fouling conditions.

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