International Paint Ltd. has successfully completed a hull coating project on the ‘Carnival Victory’, owned and operated by Carnival Cruise Lines.
 

Tuesday, January 29, 2008

The 7-year-old Italian built vessel, one of a fleet of 23 passenger liners, was coated with Intersleek 900 during its recent drydocking in the Grand Bahamas Shipyard in Freeport, Grand Bahama, in late 2007. The ‘Carnival Valor’ is also due to be coated with Intersleek 900 in late January 2008.  

Intersleek 900 was chosen as the preferred coating system for these vessels following a long evaluation of the Intersleek 700 foul release system by Carnival Cruise Lines. Intersleek 700 demonstrated that the coating decreased fuel consumption and improved hull maintenance. Secondary benefits of using Intersleek 700 included a reduction in the amount of hazardous wash water and contaminated grit produced during coating repair, fewer coats and less paint applied at subsequent drydockings, fewer volatile organic compounds released during the painting process and less time spent in drydock.  

“The Intersleek coating has definitely proven to be effective on Carnival’s vessels in terms of improving vessel speed and energy efficiency along with preventing fouling build up on the underwater hull,” said Roberto Martinoli, the Executive Vice President of Carnival Cruise Lines who was heavily involved in the evaluation of Intersleek 700. “Our continued use of Intersleek on an increasing number of vessels is testament to the positive results we are experiencing”.

Carnival Cruise Lines and International Paint have worked together to improve the efficiency of the line’s fleet since 2001 when Intersleek 700 was first applied to the vertical sides of the passenger liner ‘Carnival Imagination’. The effectiveness of Intersleek 700 was apparent immediately and in 2002/3 the coating was applied to six other vessels in the fleet (‘Carnival Ecstasy’, ‘Carnival Inspiration’, ‘Carnival Elation’, ‘Carnival Fantasy’, ‘Carnival Paradise’ and ‘Carnival Sensation’). Each ship has subsequently drydocked and was again coated with Intersleek 700.

As Carnival continued to evaluate Intersleek 700, initially coating only the underwater sides of ships, they gradually extended the areas coated as the benefits of the product were realised. ‘Carnival Ecstasy’ for example only had the underwater sides coated in 2002, two years later the underwater sides and boottop were coated and in 2006 the entire underwater hull was coated with Intersleek 700.

Earlier in 2007, Carnival Cruise Lines decided to extend the Intersleek fleet usage to 10 vessels and signed a long term supply agreement with International Paint Ltd.

Continuing their pioneering trend of evaluating new technology, Carnival Cruise Lines chose Intersleek 900, the new patented fluoropolymer foul release coating for the recent docking of the ‘Carnival Victory’ and the impending docking of the ‘Carnival Valor’.

Introduced in February 2007, Intersleek 900 is exceptionally smooth with unprecedented low levels of average hull roughness, has excellent foul release capabilities and good resistance to mechanical damage. In terms of fuel efficiency and emissions, Intersleek 900 offers predicted savings of a further 2 percent compared to Intersleek 700 and 6 percent compared to SPC antifoulings¹ . The potential exists for even greater savings in comparison to CDP, controlled depletion antifoulings. The absence of biocides also offers cost advantages at the next drydocking on treatment and disposal costs of wash water and blasting abrasive. Since launch, Intersleek 900 has quickly established a track record of 90 vessels. 

¹ _{Depending on application and in service conditions.}