LNG carrier operator opts for advanced Nippon Paint Marine hull coating

Written by Nick Blenkey
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A-LF Sea is being applied to Gaslog vessels being drydocked in 2020-2021.

Piraeus, Greece, based gas carrier operator Gaslog Ltd has opted to apply Nippon Paint Marine’s A-LF Sea hull coating as part of its current drydocking program.

An advanced ultra-low friction coating system, A-LF Sea employs a patented copper silyl acrylate copolymer technology with a high volume of solids to provide excellent antifouling performance over long periods. The coating is stable in self-polishing and is effective in whatever marine environment the ship sails. It has now been successfully applied to almost 3,000 ships worldwide.

Gaslog operates a fleet of 27 modern LNG carriers of between 145,000 cu.m and 180,000 cu.m capacity, and has seven more on order, two of 174,000 cu.m and five of 180,000 cu.m capacity.

“At Gaslog we are constantly seeking ways to reduce our environmental impact through innovative products and processes that span our entire operating cycle,” says Kostas Karathanos, Gaslog’s Innovation and Technology manager. “Antifouling paints are no exception and so we had our first trial with A-LF Sea back in 2013 when it was applied on one of our TFDE ships. The excellent results of this trial gave us the confidence to expand the application of A-LF Sea to our vessels being drydocked in 2020-2021.

He adds: “Our experience so far indicates that A-LF-SEA is outperforming the competition as the rate of power increase is notably less.”

“Nippon Paint is proud to have been chosen as a supplier to Gaslog Ltd, one of the world’s leading gas carrier operators,” says Nippon Paint Marine Europe General Manager, Theodosis Dimopoulos. “This demonstrates Nippon’s capabilities in coatings’ technology, technical service and logistics.”

According to Nippon Paint, A-LF Sea is simple to apply, using standard application techniques, can be applied over existing coatings or as a newbuild application. With a fresh layer of A-LF Sea applied at each drydocking, the fouling resistance and water trapping function can be maintained throughout the vessel’s service life.

“Reduction of CO2 emissions is a global concern,” says Dimopoulos. “We, as a paint manufacturer, can contribute to a shipowners’ carbon footprint reduction programs by reducing drag on the underwater hull surfaces.

“Following the sulfur cap regulations that kicked in on January 1, 2020, ships that are not fitted with exhaust gas cleaning systems have been forced to use very low sulfur fuels, which carry a high cost premium. A-LF Sea can help those owners, by cutting the amount of high-cost bunker fuels required.”

A-LF Sea was developed under a project undertaken by Nippon Paint with the Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) in conjunction with classification society ClassNK and Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL). It complies with IMO-AFS2001 as a tin-free anti-fouling system and is certified by the major classification societies.

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