Investing in flexibilityInvesting in flexibility
For all owners and operators, investing in solutions to enhance operational flexibility is now a key concern.
August 24, 2020

We have all learnt through our shared experience of the COVID-19 pandemic that the ability for shipping businesses to quickly adapt to change is critical to ensuring business continuity and protecting profitability. Across several market segments, idling tonnage or providing floating storage capacity, employing blank sailings, redeploying vessels on shorter-term spot contracts to leverage more beneficial freight rates or to circumvent closed ports, are just a few methods employed to create temporary cost-savings.
The picture is improving now across most major trades, but the lesson has been learnt – all prudent operators must be poised to respond to rapid change if they are to compete. With continued market fluctuation a very real possibility in the months and potentially years ahead, investing in a hull coating solution that enables vessels to trade in all marine environments, which allows for extended periods of idling and guarantees a quick return to service from drydock represents a sound investment in the future. This is only possible with the right hull coating system.
Delivering on all three of these benefits, alongside providing significant fuel savings by reducing fuel consumption, is precisely what global coatings manufacturer Hempel’s latest hull coating system, Hempaguard Max, provides.
Hempaguard MaX is built on the success of Hempaguard X7 and is suitable for any vessel operating at any speed and in any water temperature – from the Arctic to the Adriatic - to ensure complete fleet flexibility. This is further enhanced as the superior antifouling properties of the system make it possible for the vessel to sit completely idle for up to 120 consecutive days – this is pretty much unheard of in the industry. It also means that operators are not forced into routinely moving their vessels in order to avoid bio-foul build-up, which of course costs money.
Hempaguard MaX
Uniquely, Hempaguard MaX is a three-coat system and so, unlike traditional five-layer coating applications, it takes less time to apply, saving owners as much as two days in drydock, and a rapid return to service. Hempaprime Immerse 900 forms the base coat and protects the steel hull from corrosion. It also helps deliver the super-smooth surface required to fight off fouling. Nexus II is used as the intermediary, or tie coat, and Hempaguard X8 performs the fouling-defence role. Together, the system delivers unparalleled fuel savings and, over a five-year period, X8 achieves a guaranteed speed loss1 of no more than 1.2 per cent.
As Hempaguard MaX retains its full effectiveness irrespective of passage speed, trading area or water temperature, the combined savings from increased fuel efficiency and less time spent on application show that Hempaguard MaX can payback the initial investment in as little as three months2.
For owners and operators, reducing fuel costs by investing in hull coating solutions which enhance the operational efficiency of vessels, immediately reduce fuel consumption. It will also significantly enhance the operational flexibility of the vessel which has the potential to create significant, and lasting, savings.
To see more information about Hempel's range of protective hull coatings, read more here
Hempaguard MaX at a glance:
An advanced fouling defence coating system with a high degree of smoothness
Low Average Hull Roughness (AHR) driven by the whole coating system – improving fuel efficiency
Enhanced anti-corrosive capabilities and antifouling properties.
Three-coat system that saves up to two days in dock – saving time and money.
An improved idle time and antifouling guarantee of 120 days
1.2 per cent maximum guaranteed speed loss1 over five years
1 Speed loss: If a vessel’s main engine is set at a certain power output, it will propel the ship through the water at a certain speed. Over time, fouling accumulation will increase drag and cause the speed of the ship to reduce even if the main engine power output remains constant. This reduction in speed is termed “speed loss”.
2Based on a VLCC with an activity level of 70 per cent and burning low sulphur fuel costing 35 per cent more than standard bunker fuel over a five-year life cycle. Hempaguard MaX system delivers an annual saving of around USD 1.8 million compared to a market average antifouling. This equates to an ROI (return on investment) of three months.
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