CAMBRIDGE, Mass, September 15, 2020 — Adaptive Surface Technologies, Inc. (AST), a Cambridge, MA-based industrial technology company that produces the SLIPS® line of materials and coatings used for a wide range of industrial, marine, and medical repellency applications, today announced that it is partnering with Hafnia, a leading oil product tanker company, for on-vessel tests of its Foul Protect™ line of marine coatings.
“Based on our success in 2019 launching a product for recreational vessels, we are delighted to be partnering with Hafnia to validate our technology for the commercial market,” said David Ward, Chief Executive Officer of Adaptive Surface Technologies. “By significantly reducing biofouling, SLIPS® Foul Protect™ is bringing scalable benefits to commercial vessels in terms of fuel efficiencies, drag reduction and environmental impact.”
AST’s SLIPS® Foul Protect™ is an entirely new kind of marine bottom paint for vessels of all sizes, that solves the persistent problem of biofouling. It creates an ultra-smooth, slippery surface that deters attachment of hard fouling. Unlike many existing marine paints on the market today, SLIPS® Foul Protect™ does not contain any biocides and is environmentally friendly. Reducing drag through both the reduction of biofouling growth and the coatings’ smooth surface leads to the lowest fuel costs in operation and lowest carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions.
With multiple years of AST’s technical field testing already completed, real-life data from commercial vessels as they transit different regions of the globe is a key final step in the adoption process for SLIPS® Foul Protect™ for vessel operators. Hafnia’s commitment to decarbonizing shipping via novel technology adoption makes it a natural partner for AST in what historically has been a conservative industry.
The partners were introduced through Rainmaking Singapore’s Decarbonizing Shipping innovation program; Hafnia was a launch partner for the program and AST was selected as a finalist through a competitive process. “We are impressed with AST’s test results and looking forward to see how they fare on large vessels,” said Shanker Pillai, Head of Innovation at Hafnia.
For more information Adaptive Surface Technologies and its products, please visit https://www.adaptivesurface.tech.
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About Adaptive Surface Technologies
A world leader in repellent surfaces, Adaptive Surface Technologies, Inc. is a Cambridge, MA-based industrial technology company that produces the SLIPS® line of materials and coatings used for a wide range of industrial, marine, and medical applications. Our innovative coatings and cleaning maintenance systems create a slippery, fully liquid layer on surfaces that repel fluids, contaminants, and biological fouling agents. For more information, visit https://www.adaptivesurface.tech.
About Hafnia
Hafnia is one of the world’s leading oil product tanker owners and operators. Hafnia provides transportation of oil and oil products to leading national and international oil companies, major chemical companies, as well as trading and utility companies. Hafnia operates a fleet of 187 vessels in pools including newbuilds, of which 105 are owned or chartered-in, including six owned LR2s, 36 owned and chartered-in LR1s, 49 owned and chartered-in MRs and 13 owned Handy vessels. The Company has a net asset value in excess of USD 1bn and is fully financed with a strong balance sheet providing financial flexibility.
Hafnia has a strong history and reputation in chartering, operations and technical management and strives to offer customers the best integrated solution for their transportation needs. Hafnia is committed to maintaining high environmental, social and governance standards. The company has a global presence with offices in Singapore, Copenhagen and Houston and Mumbai.
Hafnia is affiliated with the BW Group, an international shipping organization that has worked in oil and gas transportation, floating gas infrastructure, environmental technologies and deep-water production for over 80 years, with six publicly listed affiliates.