Cunard Line has reported positive performance results after having chosen the fluoropolymer foul release coating, Intersleek 900, for the underwater hull of the 'Queen Mary 2'.
"To date, performance results have been very positive. The vessel is achieving operational speed while utilising less power than was previously the case," said David Strawford, Head of Technical Services, Carnival, UK. The world's largest cruise operator owns eleven cruise brands including Cunard Line.
The 6,000-square-metre area of the hull was hydroblasted and recoated during the vessel's recent maintenance and repair docking at Blohm + Voss, Hamburg, Germany.
Previously coated with a self polishing copolymer (SPC) antifouling, the decision to switch to International Paint's Intersleek 900 was an integral part of a strategic initiative to reduce fuel usage, cost, and associated carbon dioxide emissions while still maintaining operational schedules.
Carnival Corp has coated more cruise vessels with the Intersleek system than any other passenger vessel operator. The first vessel to be coated was P&O Cruises' 'Oriana' in 1999, with the silicone-based foul release system Intersleek 700. Since then, twenty other Carnival cruise vessels have subsequently been coated.
Following the introduction of Intersleek 900 in 2007, the company is currently upgrading existing silicone-coated vessels to advanced fluoropolymer technology. Smoother, tougher and with better foul release capabilities than its silicone based predecessor, Intersleek 900 was most recently applied on P&O Cruises 'Arcadia' and is specified on the four Aida cruise vessels currently under construction at Meyer Werft, Germany.
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