Team Tankers International signs up more ships to using Selektope®-powered hull coatings
Bermudan tanker owner and operator Team Tankers International says it has committed four additional ships to using the protection of the anti-barnacle active agent Selektope® following distinguished fouling prevention performance during a 40-month trial of an antifouling coating containing the technology on an MR tanker in their fleet.
The vertical sides of the 46,067DWT chemical and products carrier Team Calypso were coated with Chugoku Marine Paints’ SEAFLO NEO CF-Premium antifouling coating that contains Selektope® during its five-year drydocking at the Sembcorp shipyard, Singapore in 2015.
During the last 40 months the MR tanker has been in active operation across a wide range of trade routes globally, often sailing in global biofouling hotspots with > 25oC (up to 32oC) water temperatures where the risk of biofouling is very high. The vessel has also spent several extended periods idling in these zones.
However, during the trial, barnacles failed to anchor themselves to the tanker’s hull thanks to the protection from Selektope® which activates the barnacle larvae’s octopamine receptor, keeping them in swimming mode and preventing them from attaching to the hull with non-fatal effect.
A hull inspection conducted at month 35 in the tanker’s in-water-survey schedule established that Team Calypso’s hull was virtually barnacle free with no soft fouling coverage.
Independent third-party data analysis has also verified the fouling prevention performance of the Selektope®-powered hull coating. At month 40, total added resistance on Team Calypso’s hull and propeller due to fouling is exceptionally low, at 16%, compared to up to 30% expected for a reference ship of similar age, size and trading patterns. Of that 16% total, added resistance on the hull accounted for 10% whereas added resistance on the propeller accounted for the remaining 7%. The development of added resistance was calculated at a rate equivalent to 0.4% per month, compared to the expected rate of between 0.5% and 1.5%.
I-Tech AB CEO Philip Chaabane comments: “This tanker owner is reaping the fuel saving benefits associated with a Selektope®-powered antifouling coating. The independent data analysis coupled with the underwater hull inspection prove that Selektope® delivers strong protection from hard fouling, whatever the vessel’s activity or trading pattern.”
Team Tankers Performance & Environmental Manager Capt. Pär Brandholm comments: “Team Calypso has operated for over three years since last dry dock, and we can conclude that the fouling of the hull remains at a very low level and we hope the trend will continue being flat. We anticipate similar performance for our vessels Team Tapatio, Team Toccata, Team Tosca and Team Leader using the same hull coating containing Selektope®.”
Chugoku Marine Paints Sales Manager Northern Europe Peter Douma comments: “Chugoku Marine Paints is proud to offer an antifouling system containing Selektope® that delivers outstanding performance for a multitude of vessel types, docking intervals, trading patterns and activity. The effectiveness of our SEAFLO NEO CF-PREMIUM has been demonstrated by the results achieved on Team Calypso.”
With multiple major coatings suppliers now turning to this antifouling active agent to enhance the hard fouling prevention offered by their antifouling products, I-Tech AB is urging ship owners to check whether Selektope® is present in the antifouling systems being considered during their coating selection process.
About I-Tech AB
I-Tech is a biotech company that has developed and sold the product Selektope®, an active substance that counteracts marine growth on surfaces such as ships and boat hulls, but also other marine installations. By increasing the resistance to growth in marine paint systems (e.g Antifouling coatings), fuel and maintenance costs are reduced. I-Tech has obtained the necessary regulatory approvals for Selektope and has several of the world's largest manufacturers of marine color as customers. The company's share is listed for trading on Nasdaq First North in Stockholm with Erik Penser Bank as Certified Adviser.
About Selektope®
Selektope® introduces, for the first time, a pharmacological mode of action to combat barnacle settlement. By temporarily stimulating the octopamine receptor, the barnacle larvae’s swimming behavior is activated and the organisms are deterred from the hull. These ground-breaking discoveries enable unrivalled power at very low concentrations, yet within the limits of rigorous risk assessments. Selektope® is an organic, non-metal compound with efficacy proven at 0.1% w/w.