International Paint wins Queen’s Award

Felling based coatings manufacturer International Paint announced that the Queen’s Award for Enterprise in the Innovation category 2007 has been won by the company's Marine and Protective Coatings Business Unit. The Award is for the development of Intersleek 700, a silicone based foul release coating designed for use on the underwater hull of ships with in service speeds between 15 and 30 knots. Manufactured on our Felling site, Intersleek® 700 does not use biocides to control fouling on the ship’s hull, relying instead on a slippery, low friction surface onto which fouling organisms have difficulty settling. Any that do settle, normally do so only weakly and can usually be easily removed by simple wiping / washing or by the vessel moving through the water at speed. Performance and environmental benefits include reduced fuel consumption, reduced carbon dioxide emissions, no leaching of biocides into the sea and reduced wash water treatment costs at drydock. Intersleek 700 has recently been complemented by the introduction of the next generation of foul release technology, Intersleek 900, a product also manufactured on the Felling site. Setting even higher performance standards with improved fuel efficiency and reduced emissions, Intersleek 900 is a unique patented fluoropolymer foul release coating which represents the very latest advances in fouling control technology, significantly improving upon the performance of even the Queen’s Award winning system Intersleek 700.