Hempel has applied its award-winning fouling defense coating, Hempaguard, to more than 1,000 ships. The 1,000^th was in April.

The fuel-saving properties of Hempaguard means that, collectively, the owners of these 1,000 vessels have reduced their annual bunker bill by more than $400 million, per Hempel.

“Reaching this significant number of full vessel applications for Hempaguard in such a short time-period is a true testament to the value-added delivered by this innovative product,” Global Product Manager Henrik Dyrholm said. “We have proven that Hempaguard delivers up to six percent fuel savings and retains its effectiveness during extended idle periods of up to 120 days.

“At Hempel, we pride ourselves on our investment in R&D and creating customer focused innovative products and services. Customer feedback has been unequivocally positive with ship owners realizing significant returns on investment from Hempaguard.”
 
Hempel’s Actiguard technology combines a smooth silicone coating with the consistent release of limited biocides through a hydrogel layer.
 
This technology was in development for five years and launched in 2013 against a backdrop of tightening environmental regulations and an increasing push to reduce CO₂ emissions. Hempaguard is the first Hempel product to use this technology and based on this.
 
According to Hempel, upgrading the entire world fleet to Hempaguard X7 would, in theory, save the industry $12 billion (at current bunker prices) and reduce global CO₂ emissions by close to 95 million tons annually.  
 
The high-performance fouling defense coating has won two industry awards so far.