Nippon Marine Paints’ A-LF Sea selected by Gaslog

A-LF Sea minimises significantly biofouling and hull resistance and, consequently, results in reduced fuel consumption and engine emissions.

According to the statement, Gaslog operates a fleet of 27 modern LNG carrier ships of between 145 000 m³ and 180 000 m³ capacity, and has a further seven ships on order: two 174 000 m³ and five 180 000 m³ capacity vessels.

Kostas Karathanos, Gaslog’s Innovation and Technology manager, said: “At Gaslog we are constantly seeking ways to reduce our environmental impact through innovative products and processes that span our entire operating cycle. Antifouling paints is no exemption 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 vessel’s being drydocked in 2020 – 2021.

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

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

A-LF Sea 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 service life of a given vessel.

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

“Following the sulfur cap regulations that kicked in on 1 January 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 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 all marine environments.

Read the article online at: https://www.lngindustry.com/product-news/23032020/nippon-marine-paints-a-lf-sea-selected-by-gaslog/