Iskenderun bulkers provide reference for Nippon Paint

(Posted on 06/04/21)

Turkey’s Iskenderun Ship Management has provided a first reference for Nippon Paint Marine’s new self-polishing antifouling paint FASTAR following an agreement to apply the novel coating to five bulk carriers scheduled to drydock in China this year.

The Panamax ships Ata-M and Toros-M will drydock at COSCO’s Guangzhou shipyard in May and June respectively, with the 31,700dwt Selin-M, 32,949dwt Nihat-M, and the 50,212dwt Bozburun-M scheduled to follow in the second half of the year.

FASTAR XI, which incorporates Nippon’s hydro-gel technology, will be applied to all five vessels, replacing competitors’ schemes on two – Ata-M and Toros-M. These hulls will be spot blasted and sealed with Nippon Paint Marine’s A/C II system prior to application.

In addition to antifouling, Nippon’s high-performance abrasion and corrosion resistant Neoguard Toughness will be applied to protect the cargo holds, decks, hatch covers and coamings of all five vessels.

“Nippon’s coatings expertise has consistently provided excellent, reliable results across our fleet,” said Iskenderun Fleet Manager Captain Cahit Kayabolen.

“The performance and fuel savings achieved with recent A-LF Sea applications gave us the confidence to choose FASTAR. We are sure this new nano-domain antifouling will further enhance the propulsion and environmental efficiency of these ships.”

FASTAR, developed to reduce the volume of paint required without detriment to performance, was officially introduced to the market in January this year.

It is designed to deliver an approximate 8% reduction in fuel consumption and CO2 from a coating that benefits from reduced film thickness and lower polishing rates.

Captain Baybora Yildirim, Managing Director, Nippon Paint Marine (Turkey), said: “We are delighted that our first commercial reference for this ground-breaking technology is with a vessel operating under Iskenderun’s technical management.

“Iskenderun, a long-standing customer for Nippon Paint Marine, has a history of investing in solutions designed to improve environmental efficiency. The company selected FASTAR due to its ability to reduce emissions and deliver greater asset protection, even during lay-up periods.”

Niko Yamanoue, Deputy Managing Director, Nippon Paint Marine (Europe), added: “While the benefits of the FASTAR system vary depending on vessel size and operational profile FASTAR can reduce more than 50% of biocide elution than conventional SPCs.”

According to Yamanoue, application to more than twenty vessels during trials indicated the total minimum drying time can be reduced by up to 37%, compared to other coating systems, depending on the actual ambient temperature during application. “We expect this to result in significant operational savings for Iskenderun,” he said.

Ahmet Hamza, General Coordinator, Iskenderun Ship Management, said: “As a ship operator the lower volume of paint required was very appealing as it reduces drydock time. It also results in a substantial reduction of Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) emissions during application.”

Latest News

Smart Ship Hub expects breakthrough year for digitalisation in 2026

Leading vessel performance platform Smart Ship Hub says the industry should expect a breakthrough year... Read more

Accelerating zero-carbon shipping in the Nordics

The Nordic countries are taking an important step towards decarbonising maritime transport with the... Read more

Steelpaint appoints ADD Marine to drive growth in Greece and Cyprus

Germany’s Steelpaint has appointed ADD Marine as its representative for Greece and Cyprus, strengthening... Read more

Rio Tinto’s first Pilbara-made rail car built by Gemco in Karratha

Rio Tinto’s first Pilbara-made iron ore rail car has rolled off the production line in Karratha... Read more

Electric Liebherr portal crane strengthens Baria Serece, Vietnam

Precision meets progress at Phu My Port, Vietnam. The LPS 550 has been deployed to handle bulk commodities... Read more

bound4blue targets Asian growth with new production capabilities

bound4blue, a global leader in wind propulsion systems, has expanded its industrial footprint in Asia... Read more

DNV: Methanol as marine fuel at high readiness level

As the industry explores multiple decarbonisation pathways, methanol is gaining attention as a practical... Read more

Repeat Aasen bulk carrier order emphasises Wärtsilä hybrid strength

Technology group Wärtsilä will supply an integrated hybrid propulsion system for a bulk carrier... Read more

Superior bring big iron and bigger ideas

Superior Industries, Inc., a US-based manufacturer and global supplier of bulk material processing and... Read more

ESL connectivity upgrade enables smarter operations and supports crew wellbeing

ESL Shipping has taken a significant step forward in digitalisation by deploying a new multichannel... Read more