Coatings manufacturer Nippon Paint Marine has launched a new antifouling technology, which enhances antifouling (AF) performance to higher and more consistent levels, according to the company. It also substantially improves the time and the film thickness required for application, relative to other hull coatings.

Introduced this week, FASTAR is a self-polishing antifouling paint that incorporates a unique nano-domain resin structure designed to minimize the effect that seawater temperatures, vessel speeds, and other external factors have on coating performance. The product is being rolled out now for wide maritime application.

Features of the Technology

By controlling the release of biocides, Nippon Paint Marine says it is able to deliver a high-performing AF system with lower polishing rates. While antifouling performance often becomes less reliable when the polishing rate is low, this is not the case with FASTAR, according to the company.

The resin’s nano-domain structure, which derives from the micro-domain structure used in Aquaterras — the world’s first biocide-free, self-polishing hull coating — allows antifouling components to be delivered and released in a more precise, controlled, and effective way.

 “We set up a unit dedicated to developing new resins and finding ways of providing better antifouling performance,” says Hirokazu Kaji, general manager for the group’s research and development unit. “After several years, a lot of trial and error, and a huge amount of lab testing, research has borne fruit with an entirely new type of SPC antifouling technology.”

“In addition, thanks to the reduced film thickness, shipowners applying FASTAR will benefit from shortened in-dock application and drying times, resulting in further cost savings,” Kaji adds.

The system’s required total minimum drying time at drydock for a large container vessel, for instance, is reduced by maximum of 37 percent. This is relative to the length of time needed for other typical coating systems, depending on the actual ambient temperature during application.

Predictable Performance

“FASTAR is an advanced self-polishing antifouling paint,” says Makoto Nakagawa, marketing general manager. “Every aspect of its AF performance has been improved. Its performance in both static and dynamic conditions is unrivaled.”

“Shipowners demand effective and predictable performance from their antifouling systems in whatever sea conditions their vessels operate,” he adds. “FASTAR delivers that, while reducing overall capital and operational expenditure. It offers precise, predictable performance.”

While the cost benefits of the FASTAR system vary depending on vessel size and operational profile, the company believes less paint is required to protect a ship’s hull.

FASTAR, which is Nippon Paint Marine’s fourth-generation antifouling system, is available in four main versions — FASTAR I & II and FASTAR XI & XII. Both of the latter two products incorporate Nippon Paint’s hydro-gel technology.

According to the manufacturer, the optional addition of the hydro-gel will give FASTAR XI & XII the same 8-percent reduction in fuel consumption and carbon dioxide as the company’s A-LF-Sea series, which has been applied to more than 3,300 vessels since market introduction.