International Paint Ltd. announced the completion of coating work on one of the world’s largest crude oil carriers, the 442,500 dwt V-Plus TI Africa. Owned and operated by Overseas Shipholding Group, Inc. (OSG), the 2002 Korean built vessel, one of four sister ships, recently drydocked in Dubai.
T The decision to use the unique patented,
Intersleek 900 fluoropolymer foul release coating was based on experience with Intersleek 700 silicone based products on three OSG owned VLCC’s.
Introduced in February 2007, Intersleek 900 is smooth with low levels of average hull roughness, excellent foul release capabilities and good resistance to mechanical damage. In terms of fuel efficiency and emissions, Intersleek 900 is designed to offer 2% in comparison to Intersleek 700 and 6% in comparison to SPC antifoulings, although in-service experience on a range of vessel types has shown savings considerably higher than this.