The magic of Intersleek®
Innovation is more than just getting intelligent ideas out of people’s heads and onto the market as fast and effectively as possible. Three ingredients - unmet customer needs, good science and talented people - have got to be perfectly in tune if something magical is to occur. A case in point is our Intersleek® range of marine foul release coatings. The latest on the market is the highly innovative Intersleek® 900.
Produced by our International Paint business, Intersleek® 425 was the first biocide-free marine fouling control technology on the market when it was launched in 1996. With more than 1,000 vessels coated to date, it set a new industry benchmark for marine and environmental performance and paved the way for the equally outstanding Intersleek® 700 three years later.
Our latest innovation, Intersleek® 900, a unique patented fluoropolymer foul release coating, represents a significant improvement on the best silicone based system Intersleek® 700. For the very first time, all vessels sailing faster than 10 knots - and that includes scheduled ships, tankers, bulkers, general cargo ships and feeder containers - can now benefit.
Intersleek® 900´s exceptionally smooth, slippery, low friction surface prevents organisms attaching, saving our customers time and money at sea. Indeed, the bill for operating a VLCC vessel can be up to USD 3 million lower over a five-year period, saving 6,500 tons of fuel, and 21,000 tons of carbon emissions. The math is simple, with an up to 9% percent improvement in fuel efficiency that ´s almost one free trip for every ten undertaken.
But the story doesn’t end there. Over 350 vessels have already been coated with Intersleek® 900, including Cunard’s mighty ‘Queen Mary 2’. Along the way, Intersleek® 900 has picked up the 2008 Seatrade Insider Cruise Award and the 2009 Lloyd’s List Global Award, Clean Seas Category. Our success is down to a matching the best talent with cutting edge science to meet customer needs. And with customers achieving improved operational efficiency and a stronger environmental performance at sea and in the dry dock, Intersleek® 900 looks set to remain the standard bearer on the high seas for years to come.
Intersleek® 900 won the 2008 AkzoNobel Innovation Awards.
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