On November 28th, the “GoldenKey – China in Action for the SDGs” 2025 Annual Showcase and Exchange Event was held in Beijing. Nippon Paint Marine was honored with the 2025 “GoldenKey·Excellent Solution” award in the “Action4Nature” category, which focuses on biodiversity conservation, for its world-first AQUATERRAS coating, a self-polishing fouling protection coating that’s biocide-free.
Developed with biodiversity protection as a core principle, the hull coating delivers highly efficient antifouling performance. To date, AQUATERRAS has been applied to more than 180 vessels worldwide, significantly reducing hull resistance and lowering carbon emissions.
The GoldenKey initiative was launched in October 2020 by the China Sustainability Tribune, a publication supervised by the Ministry of Commerce, and was selected in 2021 as a “Good Practice in the Sustainable Development Goals” by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN Good Practices). It has since become one of the most influential and internationally recognised sustainability initiatives in China.
This year marks the sixth edition of the GoldenKey initiative, with 129 solutions from 128 companies participating in the showcase. Following preliminary evaluations, public online exhibitions and on-site roadshow presentations, Nippon Paint Marine’s world-first biocide-free self-polishing fouling protection coating, AQUATERRAS, won the “Action4Nature” category award, as a sustainable hull coating solution for the protection of marine biodiversity.
The shipping industry carries around 80% of global trade and is an indispensable lifeline of the world economy. However, the widespread problem of marine biofouling accelerates hull corrosion and increases hull resistance leading to higher energy consumption and carbon emissions.
To achieve the International Maritime Organisation’s goal of net-zero emissions in shipping by 2050, the industry is actively exploring antifouling technologies that deliver operational efficiency and protect marine ecosystems. Against this backdrop, Nippon Paint Marine has pioneered the launch of biocide-free self-polishing fouling protection coatings with its technology, AQUATERRAS, which offers a breakthrough approach to support the sustainable transformation of the shipping industry.
To protect the marine ecosystem, Nippon Paint Marine adopted an environmentally friendly, biocide-free formulation in the development of AQUATERRAS, incorporating anti-thrombotic polymer technology from the medical field. By creating an ultra-thin hydrolysis layer, with its HYDROPHIX® micro-domain technology which combines hydrophilic and hydrophobic properties, the coating forms a “super-smooth” physical barrier on the hull surface. This makes it difficult for marine organisms to adhere to the coating, effectively preventing biofouling without harming the marine environment.
Thanks to AQUATERRAS’s excellent fouling protection performance, vessel hulls remain smoother for longer, significantly reducing sailing resistance, as well as energy consumption and carbon emissions during operation.
Through verification, Nippon Paint Marine’s AQUATERRAS has been proven to be non-harmful to marine life such as algae, bivalves, fish, and shrimp. In an independent study conducted by PML Applications, no detectable release of zinc or copper was found during cleaning tests using soft burshes, medium brushes or water jets. Vessels using the coating can save 14.7% in fuel consumption compared with those using conventional hull coatings.
Over the years, Nippon Paint Marine dedicated its research and development to producing marine coatings that meet the needs of its customers to efficiently protect vessels and the marine environment, supporting the global shipping industry’s progress toward zero-carbon goals. Since its launch, Nippon Paint Marine’s low-friction hull coatings have provided a reduction of over more than 45 million tonnes in CO2 emissions compared to conventional, market average, hull coatings. Since its launch, AQUATERRAS has realised 800,000 tonnes of emissions reductions compared to conventional, market average hull coatings.
Nippon Paint Marine is a member of the Global Industry Alliance (GIA) and RightShip’s “Zero Harm Innovation Partner Program,” organisations that actively working alongside shipping industry partners to drive the innovation, development and application of green solutions to contribute to the sustainable development of the maritime sector. Leveraging globally shared technological strengths, Nippon Paint Marine will continue to intensify innovation in marine coating technologies, delivering more “green solutions” to support the transformation of the maritime industry and protect marine ecosystems.
Read more: https://www.sdg-china.net/en/NewsList/info_itemid_69720.html
