Independent tests once again confirm Ecospeed to be 100% environmentally safe

Over the last year stringent tests were carried out by Rijkswaterstaat (RWS) in close cooperation with the port authorities of Antwerp and Environmental Resources Management Belgium n.v. (ERM) to provide scientific data to authenticate the non-toxicity of the Ecospeed hull performance technology. These tests were done as the environmental part of ECOTEC-STC, a project funded by the European commission within the Life demonstration projects to confirm the ecological and economical advantages of the Ecospeed coating. During these tests the coating and its effect on the environment were closely examined throughout 4 different stages. 1. Application The tests showed that only a very small amount of volatile organic compounds (VOC) is released during application of the Ecospeed coating. The reason for this is that it is a 98% solid product that needs the addition of only a minimum quantity of thinner. Moreover, only one application is required during the lifetime of the vessel which will bring and end to even the smallest quantity of fouling that occurs during blasting or repainting of the vessel. This leads to zero-emission drydockings in the future. 2. The curing process A ship is often launched only 24 hours after application and because Ecospeed’s curing process (or that of any other antifouling coating) takes much longer than that, it is essential that no harmful materials are released during this phase. The results of the tests carried out by RWS substantiate that Ecospeed’s curing process is completely harmless for the environment. 3. Conditioning Ecospeed underwater conditioning is an initial operation after curing. It is carried out with specially designed tools and brings the smoothness of the paint surface to an optimum condition to reduce surface friction resistance. Comprehensive sampling was performed at the start, during and after the conditioning of several ships. These samples were then examined and the results verified that there is no impact on the water as a result of the conditioning, even in close proximity to the cleaning unit used Because the water in the ports could have affected the tests and to verify the results, additional tests were performed in a lab in worst case scenario circumstances which led to the same conclusions. 4. Cleaning Samples taken during the cleaning of ships coated with Ecospeed showed that only marine fouling is removed during the cleaning process and that the Ecospeed coating stays intact and has no effect on its surroundings.