Fuel saved with new ship paint
MARITIME INDUSTRY: Hempel has developed new ship paint so efficient against fouling, that it gives the vessels fuel savings up to eight percent. If the entire world fleet were painted with X3, the new paint would make the CO2 discharge drop by 80 billion tonne per year.
"It is a revolution that our engineers have had such good results with the new paint. X3 can have great significance in the attempt of a lower energy consumption of the trade fleet, but the shipping companies can also save a lot of money with this product. We are very proud of our new product" says product manager Torben Rasmussen, Hempel.
The pronounce energy saving has been confirmed by ship technical laboratory experiments at Force and by daily experiences in foreign and Danish shipping companies. The benefit is so profound that if the entire world fleet reached the full energy saving with X3 the CO2 discharge would drop by 80 billion tonne per year - 33 percent more than what all of Denmark is discharging at the moment.
A.P. Moller Maersk has according to Vice President Ivan Seistrup of the ship technical division in Maersk Line, been cooperating with Hempel in developing new paints including the new Hempasil X3.
"The first types of silicone paint were not entirely unproblematic because they caused mucus to cover the vessels and thereby decrease speed. We hope that this is completely avoided with the new product. It is absolutely an interesting product", says Ivan Seistrup.
Hempel promises its costumers that it will be beneficial to change to the new ship paint. The price per litre four to five times higher than normal ship paints. But it pays back on a super tanker, which spends fuel at the cost of more than DKK 40 billion per year.
"Within 12 to 18 months the expenses are covered due to the fuel savings, and the paint lasts for five years", says Torben Rasmussen.
Source: maritimedanmark.dk / Ingenioren
