Page 49: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (June 2021)

TECH FEATURE BIOFOULING ernative for Biofouling Control not to clean their hulls even when a or in drydock for an in-service vessel. the bene? ts of a hard cleanable surface heavy layer of slime has built up. Heavy However, these coatings offer no anti- while obtaining signi? cant fuel savings slime on a ship’s hull has an associated fouling or foul release properties which from its foul release properties with- fuel/power penalty which in some cases contributes to a high surface roughness out leaching biocides or silicone oils. [1] can be as high as 20% . when compared to the other systems XGIT-Fuel is speci? cally designed to be

Ultra-hard coatings use resins re- and adds an associated fuel penalty of cleaned by most hull grooming methods inforced with glass ? akes and other its own. and water jet pressures. This composite armouring ? llers to solve this issue, To solve this problem, the latest devel- smart coating was built on the recent ad- as they are mechanically robust, long- opment by Graphite Innovation & Tech- vancement of graphene as a nano-scale lasting under periodic abrasive clean- nologies (GIT) is a “hard foul release” armouring additive. Graphene is well- ings, and non-toxic. The coating is usu- coating which was designed to combine known for its high mechanical strength, ally applied in two coats at a dry ? lm the bene? ts of the ultra-hard coating and ultra-low friction, and incredible tough- thickness (DFT) of 500 µm to a properly the soft foul release products. The new ness. prepared hull, either at new build (ideal) XGIT-Fuel allows shipowners to enjoy Hard Foul Soft Foul Biocidal/Ablative Hard/Ceramic (XGIT-Fuel) Release SPC Antifouling Coating

Biocide or Leaching None Silicone oil Cuprous oxide, None

Material Zinc oxide

Ability to Clean in Port*** Yes Yes No, depends on Yes the port jurisdiction

Static Immersion at CCBC 4% - 15% - No data No data (Average Surface % Hard fouling Hard fouling

Coverage)

Suitable Hull Cleaning Plastic Scrapers, Water-jets Not recommended Special tooling required

Equipment water-jets, ROV for the underwater (brush, jets) cleaning

Maintenance & A layer of primer A layer of primer, A layer of primer One layer required & a topcoat required tie-coat & a top-coat & a topcoat required required

Applied Cleaning 10KPa - brush 10KPa – brush 10KPa - brush N/A

Force: (CCBC, Florida) 3000 KPa - jet 1000 KPa - jet

Paint Damage & Jets – no visible damage Jets – no visible damage N/A Polishing effect as a

Roughness Post- Brushes – no damage Brush – mechanical damage result of mechanical cleaning

Pencil Hardness >8H 6B 2H >8H (ASTM D3363) www.marinelink.com 49

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