Considerately Carried

Health & safety of bulkers, crew and & environment

Delivering dramatic power savings and emissions reductions

Ariana Psomas, PPG Segment Director New Build & Dry Dock, explains how PPG SIGMAGLIDE® 2390 marine coating, a breakthrough fouling release technology from PPG, will help shipowners lower power consumption and carbon emissions and meet demands for higher performance with no adverse impact on the marine environment.

The biocide-free fouling release coating is based on revolutionary PPG HYDRORESET™ technology, which modifies the coating when it is immersed in water to create a super-smooth, almost friction-free surface that marine organisms do not recognize and cannot adhere to. This enables vessels to maintain a clean hull and reduce drag, achieving power savings of up to 20%, a speed loss performance of less than 1%, and up to 35% reduction in CO2 emissions.

The reduction in CO2 emissions makes it easier for owners and operators to meet targets for reduction of greenhouse gas emissions under the International Maritime Organization’s energy efficiency (EEXI and EEDI) and carbon intensity (CII) requirements, which went into effect this year.

“When compared to conventional antifouling technologies, PPG Sigmaglide 2390 coating is a pivotal formulation that paves the way for ship owners and operators to radically improve efficiency and reduce CO2 emissions,” said Psomas. “The potential for emissions reduction means they can operate at an average one knot higher speed while remaining CII compliant.”

In service, the coating can deliver up to 150 days of idle performance and an extended lifetime of more than ten years with minimal maintenance requirements. These benefits, combined with the power savings, provide an industry-leading return on investment (ROI) for shipowners. This unrivalled fouling control performance of PPG Sigmaglide 2390 coating is achieved with no release of biocides into the oceans. PPG Sigmaglide 2390 coating is also suitable for electrostatic application, which provides high transfer efficiency, leading to lower paint consumption.

“These performance benefits are achieved thanks to the incorporation of PPG HydroReset technology into the 100% pure silicone binder formulation,” Psomas said. “When the coating is immersed in water, the PPG HydroReset technology senses the presence of water molecules and instantly reorganizes the surface profile of the coating at a nano scale to generate a super-smooth non stick, ultra-low friction surface which delivers significant, long-lasting fouling protection.”

In co-operation with leading, third-party institutes PPG performed hull performance analyses and computational fluid dynamic predictions for different ship models comparing PPG Sigmaglide 2390 to standard antifouling technologies. The results proved its ultra-smooth watermodified surface PPG Sigmaglide 2390 delivers immediate power savings of up to 20% whilst only experiencing a 1% loss of speed, thus contributing to achieving the IMO greenhouse gas reduction targets.

In addition to a consistent long idle performance of up to 150 days, the stable, unfluctuating performance of the silicone binder system also has significant return on investment (ROI) benefits. Owners and operators can expect no surface deterioration of the coating on the hull, nor any leaching or surface porosity and so are able to benefit from an extended lifetime of more than ten years with minimal maintenance requirements for their vessels.

“As such, a vessel coated with PPG Sigmaglide 2390 can save two complete steps of treatment at a five-year redocking and can continue for another five years with no need for full blasting or application of a full top coat,” Psomas said. “This prolonged lifetime benefit has a farreaching effect on return on investment. Vessel owners choosing PPG Sigmaglide 2390 can typically expect to save on average, 50% of their typical ten-year maintenance costs coupled with significant savings in fuel consumption, as compared with an owner selecting alternative premium hull coatings.”