Van AalstTBA GroupCimbriaTMS Awards 2023Port of StocktonTelestack
  • Van Aalst
  • Telestack
  • Sailors Society
  • Cimbria
  • Bühler GmbH
  • Vigan

Nippon Paints reflects on coatings

(Posted on 21/07/19)

White paint doesn't look clean for long. Yet ship coatings of a darker hue absorb more heat, increase the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) requirement and, consequently, electrical load, resulting in higher fuel consumption and emissions.

So, what the industry needs is a darker coating that fails to absorb the heat, right? A coating like Nippon Paint Marine’s Ever Cool.

Introduced to the market following extensive shipboard trials, Ever Cool is specially formulated to reduce the effect of the Sun’s infrared rays on ship operations.

The temperature difference between, for example, a deck coated with conventional paint system and one with Ever Cool can be up to about 28°C, with the specially formulated coating reflecting up to 80% of the Sun’s heat from coloured coatings.

Requiring no special application tools or processes, Nippon Paint Marine uses advanced formulated reflective pigments to prevent surface temperature increases and lower heat transfer through steal plate and other structures.

During tests on the compass deck of a Panamax bulk carrier, heat sensors recorded a surface temperature of 70°C on conventionally coated areas and 42°C on areas applied with Ever Cool.

A similar test carried out over six months took place on the deck above a vessel’s wheelhouse. Measuring some 4,379 different points, the sensors registered no solar reflecting effects during the low temperature months of January and February, but when the mercury began to rise from March, “we noticed a huge amount of solar reflectance,” said Olaf Töbke, Director, Nippon Paint Marine (Europe).

Where a conventional grey polyurethane coat had a deck surface temperature of 71°C, the grey coloured Ever Cool was 23°C cooler. Ever Cool in green had a temperature of 51°C against the 64°C of a similar coloured epoxy. Red coloured polyurethane and epoxy-coated decks each had a surface temperature of 71°C, while the red coloured Ever Cool was 54°C.

Explaining Ever Cool’s potential in reducing newbuild and operational costs, Töbke said: “By reducing the surface temperatures of exposed decks, shipbuilders can reduce the insulation requirement, while ship operators can reduce the air conditioning/chiller load, saving fuel and improving the onboard conditions for passengers and crew, especially in tropical climates.”

In addition to decks, the heat resistant coating can also be applied to the topside of ballast water and cargo tanks, to ensure their contents remain at a safe and steady temperature. The technology is also applicable to LNG insulated tanks to lower boil-off gases.

While new to the maritime sector, Nippon Paint has supplies solar reflective paint (SRP) to other industries for a number of years.

The technology is used in the building industry to coat aluminium cladding and a Japanese car manufacturer is using the paint to reduce the interior temperature of parked cars. The car manufacturer found that an SRP-coated car can reduce internal temperatures by about 11% compared to a conventionally painted car.

Latest News

Liebherr Connect to link people, cranes and digital environment

(Posted on 07/05/25)

Liebherr Connect is changing the way people, machines and the environment are connected. With broadly... Read more


Dualog sets a new standard for maritime email

(Posted on 07/05/25)

Dualog has announced a significant update to its email solution: individual corporate email accounts... Read more


Naples cargo operator invests in energy-efficient Konecranes Gottwald MHC

(Posted on 01/05/25)

Magazzini Generali Silos Frigoriferi (MGSF), part of the Klingenberg Group, has ordered a Konecranes... Read more


FuelEU Maritime compliance strategy is commercial priority, says OceanScore

(Posted on 28/04/25)

FuelEU Maritime represents a strategic headache for shipping companies on the same level as its technical... Read more


Wärtsilä upgrade to deliver emissions savings for Ulusoy bulk carriers

(Posted on 22/04/25)

Technology group Wärtsilä will upgrade the Wärtsilä RT-flex main engines... Read more


Steelpaint secures major order for application on 39 bulk vessels

(Posted on 22/04/25)

German coatings firm Steelpaint GmbH has secured a major order to supply its specialist Stelpant... Read more


BAR Technologies' WindWings a practical solution

(Posted on 15/04/25)

In the wake of the International Maritime Organization's (IMO) Marine Environment Protection Committee... Read more


Orderbook for all dry-bulk vessel classes falls by 26% Y-o-Y in Q1

(Posted on 15/04/25)

Global economic uncertainty and a cooling of the market has seen newbuild orders for dry-bulk vessels... Read more


Alfa Laval expands its portfolio with NRG Marine acquisition

(Posted on 03/04/25)

Alfa Laval has completed the acquisition of UK-based NRG Marine, a leading provider of ultrasonic anti... Read more


MBF and ZESTA MoU to accelerate zero-emission shipping

(Posted on 03/04/25)

In a landmark moment for the global maritime industry, the Maritime Battery Forum (MBF) and the Zero... Read more


Bühler GmbHGeneva DryViganSailors SocietyPort of South Louisiana
  • Port of Stockton
  • Geneva Dry

Subscribe to our newsletter

Keep up to date with the latest global news in bulk cargo handling and shipping