Twins expand Hempel’s family of coatings

When Hempel launched its Globic 8000 and Dynamic 8000 hull coatings last December, they soon gained the nickname ‘the twins’ among Hempel’s staff. Although they use different technologies, their performance is similar, said Claes Skat-Rørdam, Hempel’s fouling control marketing manager. The two coatings are said to deliver fuel savings of up to 3 per cent.

They both fit into existing coating ranges. Globic 8000 is a hydrolysing self-polishing antifouling product that fits between the existing Globic 6000 and Globic 9000 antifouling systems, but its performance is closer to that of Globic 9000, Mr Skat-Rørdam told Marine Propulsion, which is why it was called 8000, rather than 7000.

It uses nano acrylate technology, he said. This has a polishing control mechanism to bring the integral biocides to the surface at a stable rate. It is particularly effective for slow steaming operations, Hempel said when it launched the product.

Dynamic 8000 uses silylated acrylate technology and is especially suited for use at higher speeds. It brought to four the number of options in Hempel’s Dynamic range, which is described as providing low friction antifouling for service intervals of up to 90 months.

At the same time, Hempel launched an economic antifouling called Basic, suitable for a 36-month drydocking interval. It is for customers looking for a very economical solution, Mr Skat-Rørdam said. “Its performance is in line with the name,” he added.

The new coatings were launched a little more than a year after Hempel’s Hempaguard coating, detailed in this report last year. That has now been applied to about 350 ships, with some customers applying it across their fleets. “We are rarely asked to make test patches,” Mr Skat-Rørdam said. “Owners who are interested go all-in with full ships.”

Hempel launched a coating range intended for ballast tanks earlier this year. Hempadur Quattro XO products are pure epoxy coatings that comply with MSC.215(82) – IMO’s Performance Standard for Protective Coatings for Water Ballast Tanks.

HEMPEL’S HULL COATING HOUSEHOLD

As well as its new twins, Hempel’s family tree of hull coatings includes siblings with a range of coating abilities:

• Premium: Hempaguard, Hempasil X3+, Globic 9000, Dynamic.
• Top tier: Globic 8000, Dynamic 8000.
• Mid tier: Globic 6000, Oceanic+.
• Commercial tier: Olympic+, Basic.

Source: Hempel