Nippon Paint Marine’s new antifouling system FASTAR has been applied to a 18,891dwt Pure Car Carrier (PCC), representing the fourth application of the novel nano domain coating to this ship type.

Since market introduction in January this year, the high-performing, self-polishing antifouling system has been applied to more than 60 vessels, including bulk carriers, chemical carriers, VLCCs, containerships, passenger vessels and PCCs.

Covering a 7800m3 underwater area, FASTAR I was applied to the 196m long ship’s flat bottom, vertical bottom and boottop during a recent drydocking at a shipyard in Shanghai. One coat of anti-corrosive paint and one coat of FASTAR was deemed sufficient to meet the undisclosed vessel’s 36 month drydocking schedule. 

“The ship manager of the vessel has a long history of applying Nippon Paint Marine antifouling to its ships as a way of improving propulsion efficiency and reducing emissions,” Olaf Riecken, business development manager, Nippon Paint Maine (Europe), said. “FASTAR’s reduced paint film thickness and drying time was an influential factor in the decision to select the new coating system.

“With the current surge in demand and high freight rates, shipowners want to keep their vessels trading for as long as possible. A FASTAR antifouling not only provides next level performance but improves drydock efficiency, reducing significantly the time required in drydock for paint work,” he said.

Riecken noted that to meet surging demand, some yards are limiting the number of days for each drydocking as a way of increasing the number of projects they can take on. 
“FASTAR can help shipowners draw a coating plan that fits with the yard’s schedule,” he said.

FASTAR is a self-polishing antifouling paint that incorporates a unique nano-domain resin structure designed to minimize the effect that seawater temperatures, vessel speeds and other external factors have on coating performance.

The coating’s curing time is enhanced with the integration of the Nippon Paint Marine’s unique self-indicating anti-corrosive NOA10M product. This further simplifies application as it allows the applicator and inspector to visually judge when the product has been applied at the proper film thickness.

The company’s 4th generation antifouling system is available in four main versions – FASTAR I & II and FASTAR XI & XII, of which the latter two products incorporate Nippon Paint’s hydro-gel technology.

According to Riecken, orders for FASTAR have increased steadily since market launch in January.