AQUATERRAS

Bright Futures begin with Clean Oceans

AQUATERRAS. A totally new era in fouling prevention.
This is a unique and innovative biocide-free antifouling paint based on Nippon Paint Marine's patented polymer technology.
Our latest development therefore creates an entirely new generic type ; Micro-Domain SPC.

The result of years of development and even more years of testing by the marine coating industry's acknowledged leader in antifouling technology.
AQUATERRAS provides ; Excellent antifouling properties / Ultra-low-friction / Self-polishing.
AQUATERRAS truly differs from any other antifouling paint. It provides sustainable and future proof fouling protection.

Product Name

To reflect its biocide free formulation and its part in keeping our oceans clean, the name “AQUATERRAS” literally means ‘Shining Water’.
Aqua - ancient Latin word for water + Terras - Japanese for ‘illuminate’ or ‘shine’
The development of AQUATERRAS was driven by Nippon Paint Holdings' Corporate policies and philosophies for Environmental Protection and Sustainability.

Features

New Hydrolysis Antifouling Technology

Benefit
- Excellent fouling protection
- Long term and stable self-polishing
- Flat & smooth surface and ultra low friction
- -10% fuel-saving effect
Biocide-free

Benefit
- Reduction of marine environmental burden
- Flat & smooth film
- Consideration of health & safety, and environmental issues
Good workability

Benefit
- Easy application using standard painting practice and equipment

Biocide-free SPC Technologies

AQUATERRAS uses entirely new technology in the marine coatings field.
AQUATERRAS works by using the science and materials used in medical anti-thrombogenic polymer technology.
Hydrophilic & hydrophobic micro-domain structures actively combine to naturally repel any biological adhesion onto its surface.
Nippon Paint Marine's chemists ensured that a constantly active micro-domain structure is always exposed by creating a continuous hydrolysis (self-polishing) reaction.

New hydrolysis polymer structure

Performance in Service

Fouling condition After 12 months
Ferry 14.8 knots
Fouling condition After 12 months
Ferry 14.8 knots

Low Friction Coating Technologies

AQUATERRAS's surface is super-smooth & extremely flat from its biocide free formulation. Biocides such as copper or cuprous oxide are often comparatively rough.
Its unique biocide free self-polishing hydrolysis reaction helps to make its surface even smoother over time though self-polishing as the ship moves.

Initial surface roughness

Approx. 15% reduction of frictional resistance
Approx. 10% reduction of fuel consumption & CO2 emission

Test result -1 Fixed point test

Ship applied with AQUATERRAS

Test result -2 NB Sea trial

AQUATERRAS and LF-Sea performance were compared when sister ships were applied with both materials at new building and their Speed v power curves at sea trial were measured and plotted.
The AQUATERRAS coated ship achieved the same speed as its sister using approximately 4% less power. The reduction in power was seen over the entire speed range.

Launching ceremony of NB built
at Imabari Shipbuilding
LF-Sea applied to sister ship. AQUATERRAS applied to the NB

Non Toxic Antifouling Technologies

Nippon Paint has conducted exhaustive and extensive testing to show that AQUATERRAS is truly biocide free and not harmful to marine life.

We have conducted testing to demonstrate that AQUATERRAS has, or gives out :

No biocidal substances
No active ingredients
No emission into marine environment

Environment friendly antifouling proven by marine life tests (*)
Testing with marine life has been done with marine fish, bivalves, crustaceans and seaweeds ; none of which were harmed or affected by AQUATERRAS.
These reports are available on request and have been published in a Technical Dossier.

Note (*): Saltwater Fish Acute Toxicity Test; Saltwater Bivalve Acute Toxicity Test; Saltwater Mysid Acute Toxicity; Saltwater algal toxicity Test

Background

Nippon Paint Marine have a long and proud history of dedicated and detailed research and development into antifouling paints that have reduced shipping's marine environmental impact and in reducing air pollution. All these products have been proven by experience on thousands of vessels to have contributed to the lowering of air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions from the efficiency of their low-friction surfaces the reduction of the ship's fuel consumption.

In 1990, ‘ECOLOFLEX’ the world's first TBT-free true self-polishing copolymer (SPC) antifouling. In 2008, ‘LF-Sea’ the world's first low friction antifouling paint using patented “water trapping” technology.
Then in 2013 “A-LF-Sea” – the advanced version of LF-Sea.

Nippon Paint Marine is now proud to be able to announce a significant leading step in technical innovation with the launch of the world's first self-polishing antifouling paint that is completely biocide-free. “AQUATERRAS” has been developed using Nippon Paint's huge experience of developing new and unique self-polishing antifouling technologies.
AQUATERRAS will further contribute to shipping's reduction of both its marine and atmospheric environmental impacts.

Application

AQUATERRAS is easy for all shipyards to apply, needing no special equipment or expensive preparation.

Conventional painting apparatus
Standard painting practice
Application on current SPC layer
Special “AQUATERRAS A/C” required
Application guide
- 1) M&R
- 2) Newbuilding / Full blasting

*Please contact your local NPMC representatives for more details.

Case Study

240GT Training Ship
Hull condition after 12 months

Excellent anti-fouling performance

37,503 DWT BC
Hull condition after 30 months

Excellent fouling protection

61,328 DWT BC
Hull condition after 30 months