Just two years after its launch, manufacturer of marine coatings – Hempel – has announced that its revolutionary award winning antifouling product HEMPAGUARD has now been applied as a full vessel coating to more than 350 ships.

HEMPAGUARD was launched two years ago during London International Shipping Week 2013 after a five-year development programme, and is Hempel’s first product to use its proprietary ActiGuard technology that integrates silicone-hydrogel and full diffusion control of biocides in a single coating. So confident is Hempel of its performance that the company offers the industry’s first performance satisfaction guarantee.

To date, feedback from customers confirms that their vessels have remained significantly cleaner, and for longer, than they’ve experienced with any other antifouling product.

Claes Skat-Roerdam, Marketing Manager, Fouling Control, Hempel A/S commented: “We are delighted with the success of HEMPAGUARD, it really is a strong endorsement of the protection properties of our product. The combination of silicone-hydrogel and biocide science has revolutionised antifouling technology to deliver excellent fouling resistance – including up to 120 days during idle periods – plus fuel savings of between four and six per cent on average. The fact that more than 350 vessels have now been coated with HEMPAGUARD proves the value of our new coating”.

The coating was introduced to the shipping industry against a backdrop of rising bunkering costs, tightening environmental regulations and the introduction of mandatory Ship Energy Efficiency Management Plans (SEEMP). In October 2014, HEMPAGUARD, won Shipping Efficiency’s prestigious Environmental Technology award for making “a significant contribution to environmental impact reduction or prevention to ships.”