Gothenburg-based I-Tech’s Selektope® antifouling agent has secured one of the prestigious European Marine Engineering Awards 2016, in recognition of the breakthrough marine coating ingredient’s Environmental Performance.
The Environmental Performance Award, sponsored by DNV GL, celebrates the environmental benefits of a product, process or management approach as a result of implementation for the first time in 2015, or significantly improved or relaunched.The Award was presented by Robert Ashdown, Secretary General of the International Association of Classification Societies at the European Marine Engineering Conference gala dinner in Amsterdam on 13 April 2016.
Selektope is an organic, non-metal compound, which features an innovative pharmacological mode of action to combat barnacle settlement, even in minute quantities. It temporarily stimulates the swimming action in barnacle larvae’s, deterring them from attaching to the hull. It is distinguished by extremely low biocidal loading and is harmless to the marine environment.
Initial commercial applications of marine coatings with Selektope, which is fully approved for use by the relevant authorities in Japan, South Korea, China and Europe, took place in 2015. Tests have shown that antifouling products containing Selektope also significantly reduce fouling, lowering water resistance and potentially saving up to 40% in fuel costs, thereby cutting ship air emissions. Selektope repels barnacles even when ships are at rest, allowing fuel saving claims made by coatings suppliers to cover the ship’s entire operational cycle. By repelling barnacle attachment, coatings with Selektope also lower the risk of transporting invasive aquatic species from one oceanic region to another. For more information, visit selektope.com.
The European Marine Engineering Awards are organized by Riviera Maritime Media. Award winners are selected after a dual process, reflecting consideration by a panel of independent judging experts from various marine engineering disciplines but also a public vote.
