| Ecospeed applied on several fast-going ferries |
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 Over the last couple of months several owners of fixed route passenger vessels have chosen Ecospeed as the preferred coating to protect their vessel’s underwater hull for its entire sailing life. Among the vessels coated with Ecospeed are the largest Ro-Pax ferry in the world, a newbuild ferry in Croatia, and one of the vessels that provides ferry services across the Delaware Bay on the East Coast of the United States. These vessels will all benefit greatly from the fuel optimizing possibilities Ecospeed offers, as well as the coating’s lasting protection against damage from cavitation and ice.
Under normal operation, ferries have to drydock once a year to comply with classification regulations. During the busy tourist season these ferries need to be sa iling to make money so the best time for drydocking is the low season when there are fewer passengers. For this reason the majority of these ferries come into drydock for a short time during the winter months. This short drydocking times give ferry operators little opportunity to take all the hull maintenance steps needed to reduce fuel consumption.The use of Ecospeed on the underwater hulls opens the door to looking deeper into how to optimize fuel efficiency in between dockings. Ferries sail on a fixed route, so the ports they visit and the turnaround time is known in advance. Knowing the exact schedule makes it possible to implement a stricter underwater maintenance program. Ecospeed properties prevent fouling penetration, making the cleaning process extremely easy. It can be performed underwater or with high pressure tools in drydock and can be repeated whenever needed during the vessel’s lifespan without causing a ny damage or deterioration to the coating. The coating’s surface characteristics even improve significantly with each hull cleaning. World’s largest Ro-Pax ferry sailing with Ecospeed With a length of 240 meters and combined passenger and freight capacity of 230 cars, 300 freight vehicles and 1,200 passengers, MV Stena Britannica was launched in October 2010. Stena Line actively works to avoid damage to the marine and land environment. Whenever new operations are being planned or when new technology is being implemented, the environmental consequences are evaluated to minimize the company’s ecological footprint. Ecospeed fits in perfectly with these objectives. The coating is 100% environmentally safe, contributes greatly to reduced fuel consumption and therefore GHG emissions, and thus fits perfectly with Stena Line’s own ecological beliefs. Ecospeed protecting underwater hull of Delaware Bay ferry In early 2011 the underwater hull one of the three 98 meter ferries crossing Delaware Bay from Cape May to Lewes was coated with Ecospeed at the Colonna Shipyard in Norfolk, Virginia. MV Delaware is owned by the Delaware River and Bay Authority (DRBA) and was one of the original three vessels of the company’s 1970s fleet. Her sister ships are the MV Cape May and MV Twin Capes; the latter is also scheduled to be coated with Ecospeed. Ice class 1A ferry to sail safely on Canadian South-East coast with Ecospeed At the end of 2010, Ecospeed was applied to the 95 meter newbuild ferry Bella Desg agnés at the Kraljevica Shipyard in Croatia. The entire ap plication, including surface preparation with grit blasting and application of both layers of Ecospeed, was carried out in only five days. The ice class 1A Bella Desgagnés will operate year-round and has been designed for a high ice capability. Ecospeed’s resistance against ice is ideal to complement the vessel’s structural ice protection. For over four years, several vessels coated with Ecospeed have been sailing the most northern parts of the Baltic Sea during the winter season when they are almost completely frozen. Despite the frequent impact of large pieces of floating dry ice, none of these vessels have required more than just a few touch-ups during their drydock visits. The evidence these dockings gave of Ecospeed’s durability and protection against harsh winter conditions convinced the owners of Bella Desgagné s that the coating was ideal for their newbuild ferry. “We have been looking for a better paint to be applied to our vessels, especially for the vessel going north,” says Mr. Rossi, Vice President and General Manager of Engineering and Operations with Transport Desgagnés Inc. “Bella Desgagnés will operate in first year ice through the winter. If the coating performs in the same manner as we have seen on other vessels, we will have a product that we really wanted on this vessel and on other upcoming new constructions.” Subsea Industries Noorderlaan 9, Haven 29 2030 Antwerpen, Belgium tel:+32 3 213 53 18 fax:+32 3 213 53 21 This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it www.ecospeed.be 
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