Thorn-D® antifouling-film applied on crew vessel in Dubai
Maritime Technology Company Micanti BV has applied its patented non-toxic antifouling on a crew vessel Lady Rasha in Dubai, the company reports.
Thorn-D® is an adhesive foil with fibers that creates a textured surface. Instead of killing marine growth the textured foil is preventing it from attaching itself to the hull of a ship. Thorn-D® is set to replace the generally used chemical coatings on hulls of ships. Lady Rasha is owned by GGM in Dubai and mainly operates in the Gulf.
Mr Foad Al Ali, owner of GGM explains: “ during two years of operation with a conventional antifouling, we lost 5 knots of speed. Since speed is crucial for our operations, we have choosen Thorn-D® as an antifouling system since it has proven to be effective while moored and while sailing”
Dr. ir. Rick Breur, founder of Micanti: “Five years ago I developed this patented non toxic antifouling. The technology provides a physical barrier in the shape of specific short fibers for organisms such as mussels, barnacles and algae to settle. The basic thought behind Thorn-D® is that a combination of prickliness and swaying of Thorn-D® fibers makes the surface unattractive for organisms. Multiple tests under various circumstances and in different locations around the world have been done and Thorn-D® has proven to be effective every time.”
Compared to other antifouling products, Thorn D® has many advantages. Whereas all other products are (chemical) coating products and need regular replacement, Thorn D® is a physical barrier to fouling and has an expected lifetime of at least 5 years. Moreover, Thorn-D® is sold as an easy-to-apply self adhesive foil instead of a (chemical) paint. The foil is developed and produced together with Avery Dennison. As an additional feature, the physical nature of the product guarantees environmental friendliness.
Holland based Micanti was founded in 2006 and has developed products for effective non-toxic fouling defence technology. Micanti targets to be the market leader for non toxic antifouling through a patented technology by applying fibre thorns as fouling repellent.
The patented product Thorn-D® has been tested and continuously improved over a number of years in various environments. This has been done in close cooperation with various scientific institutes and universities.