Marine coatings leader, Nippon Paint Marine, today announced the successful application of AQUATERRAS, Nippon Paint Marine’s biocide-free, low-VOC, SPC solution, to a Wan Hai vessel, in China. The AQUATERRAS coating provides sustainable protection for the hull from fouling to deliver fuel savings of up to 14.7% over 60 months compared to the market average speed loss, whilst also reducing carbon emissions.

In July 2024, Wan Hai Lines’ 71,336 DWT container vessel, M/V “Wan Hai 613”, entered Zhou Shan Chang Hong Shipyard, China, for scheduled ship repair and maintenance. During the dry-docking, Nippon Paint Marine applied a full coating with a newly developed low-VOC AQUATERRAS SPC solution.

Released in 2021, AQUATERRAS broke new ground in fouling prevention with its biocide-free formulation, representing a world first in the development of fouling protection technology. AQUATERRAS is an SPC coating that protects the marine environment by eliminating the elution of biocides into our seas and avoiding harm to untargeted marine life. The low friction coating protects marine life while achieving significant improvements in carbon reduction and fuel efficiency, compared with the market average, with effective fouling protection.

Kazuaki Masuda, Corporate Officer, Technology Division Director at Nippon Paint Marine, said: “The first application of AQUATERRAS in China is a significant milestone in our product development and we are thrilled to take this step forward with our longstanding customer and trusted partner, Wan Hai Lines. The incorporation of low-VOC technology into the coating builds on AQUATERRAS’ legacy of protecting our marine environment, whilst also maintaining the industry standard in antifouling performance.”

Wan Hai Lines Ltd, said: “Since 2016, Wan Hai Lines has relied on Nippon Paint Marine to provide our vessels with the latest in high-performance antifouling coatings, which continue to meet and exceed our expectations. We were thrilled with the performance of FASTAR, which has contributed significantly to Wan Hai vessel’s fuel savings and we are proud to continue our longstanding collaboration with the latest offering from Nippon Paint Marine’s product line, AQUATERRAS.”