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Cruise line operator Silversea has appointed coatings supplier Hempel to deliver innovative coating solutions for its newbuild 40,700 gt cruise[ds_preview] ship »Silver Muse« that was built at the Fincantieri shipyard in Genoa Sestri Ponente and delivered in early April. It was vital for Silversea that the coating delivered fuel savings and minimised maintenance costs.

Hempel used its fouling defence coating Hempaguard X7 to protect the hull of the new vessel. The product uses a combination of hydrogel-silicone and an efficient fouling preventing biocide in a single coat. This technology releases 95% less biocide than traditional antifoulings delivering enhanced environmental performance. A significant 6% fuel saving compared with best-in-class antifoulings over the entire docking interval maxi­mises operational efficiency. The effectiveness of Hempaguard X7 over an extended docking interval of up to 90 months helps minimise maintenance costs.

Kim Scheibel, Group Director, Marine/Container, New Building, Hempel, commented: »›Silver Muse‹ will be trading mainly in the warm waters of the Mediterranean which tend to encourage fou­ling. Cruise ships operate unique trading patterns which involve a combination of slow and fast steaming as well as regular periods alongside. Hempaguard provides proven outstanding resistance to fou­ling during idle periods of up to 120 days and retains its effectiveness at all passage speeds.«

Application of the entire coating system on the hull took just four days. Other products applied to the »Silver Muse« include Hempathane TC 55210 (a two-component glossy acrylic polyurethane coating) for the topsides and external areas, Hempadur Quattro 17634 (a two-component universal epoxy IMO PSPC compliant coating) for the ballast tanks, Hempadur 35560 (a solvent-free two-component high-build polyamine adduct cured epoxy coating) for the potable water tanks and Hempadur 85671 (a two-component amine adduct cured phenolic epoxy (novolac) coating) for the grey water tanks.