Bottom paint is the new bottom line.
Once a surface, such as a ship’s hull, enters a marine environment, it is traditionally rapidly colonized by a range of aquatic species known as ‘biofouling’. Biofouling negatively impacts fuel efficiency by increasing a ship’s resistance in the water. A ship with a heavy coating of slime can require up to 38% more energy to maintain the same speed as an identical vessel with a clean hull.[1]
For this reason, GIT has created XGIT-Fuel — the first patented graphene-based technology specifically tailored to increase vessel fuel efficiency & hydrodynamic performance.
XGIT-Fuel is a biocide-free hard foul release type coating. The coating’s low evaporation rate (VOC) minimizes the loss of material consumption and its low odor provides an ideal work environment for workers during application. Moreover, due to the hardness of XGIT-Fuel it can easily undergo underwater hull cleanings without damaging the structural integrity of the coating. This allows for smoother and faster hull maintenance, cutting drydock times and expenses for the ship owner.
The coating’s low volatile organic content (VOC) minimizes the loss of material once the coating dries; which prevents excess consumption during application, production delays and improves the bottom line.