Ecospeed reported that when a 965-ft cruise vessel came into drydock in the Bahamas last month after sailing with the company’s hull coating for two years, less than 1% of the underwater hull needed touch ups and no new paint layers were required on the rest of the underwater hull.
As a consequence the technical operations that needed to be carried out on the vessel were very easy to plan because no repaint needed to be added to the schedule. Moreover, the vessel could leave drydock earlier than would have been the case if an extensive repaint had been required.
With all coating systems a vessel's AHR (average hull roughness) will gradually increase due to the buildup of paint layers and the general deterioration of the paint system, resulting in increased fuel consumption. Ecospeed, however, is an once-in-a-lifetime coating that comes with a 10 year warranty and there will be no need to repaint the vessel during future drydockings as it maintains its smoothness throughout its lifetime.
Ecospeed is combined with an underwater cleaning and conditioning system, devised to remove any marine fouling at an early stage of development. Cleaning can be repeated whenever needed during the vessel’s lifespan.
Ecospeed said that independent tests have confirmed that Ecospeed remains environmentally safe throughout its entire lifetime. It contains no poisons which could leach into the water, as happens with antifouling paint, and toxic fuel emissions are reduced.