Hydrex Underwater technology

Ecospeed hull coating system

Ecospeed is an environmentally safe underwater ship hull coating system which provides the vessel with long-term protection and dramatically improves the ship's performance. It consists of a unique, entirely original and thoroughly proven system that combines the advantages of an easy-to-apply, superior hard coating, a surface treatment for hydrodynamic optimization and a long term underwater maintenance service system.

The Ecospeed coating is a vinyl ester with a high concentration of embedded glass platelets. It has a very low amount of volatile organic compounds (VOC) and is typically applied in two coats of 500 µm dft. The high film thickness and the presence of glass platelets which act as an impermeable barrier explain why Ecospeed has excellent anti-corrosive properties. It is extremely durable, making it perfectly suited to be subjected to regular in-water surface treatment.

Once in a lifetime application

Ecospeed comes with a 10 year guarantee and is expected to last the lifetime of the vessel. This is in strong contrast to traditional anti-fouling paints where a new application is necessary during each drydocking.

The timing of an Ecospeed application is geared to the schedule of the yard. This flexibility can be easily achieved with Ecospeed because the coating has versatile application potentials. Either of the two required coats can be applied at any time during the building process, even when there is a winter period or serious bad weather between applications.

With Ecospeed only one application is required and the cost of any future repaints is eliminated. Planning upcoming drydock sessions therefore becomes a far simpler procedure, giving shipowners the benefit of being able to focus on the technical maintenance of the vessel and reducing the time in drydock to the absolute minimum, which in turn results in less off-hire time. This also helps shipowners to extend their vessels' drydock intervals to 7.5 years. (More information on extending drydock intervals can be found on this page.)

During the application a lasting impermeable barrier for protection against corrosion and marine fouling is created. This makes Ecospeed ideal for in-water treatment.

A non-toxic underwater hull coating

Ecospeed offers a TBT-free, copper-free and biocide-free solution for the protection of the underwater hull. In 2008 stringent tests were carried out within the framework of an EU-LIFE demonstration project to provide scientific data and to authenticate the non-toxicity of the Ecospeed hull performance technology. This research proved that the coating is 100% toxin-free and that there is no negative effect on the water quality or the marine environment at any point of its application or use. (More information on the ecological benefits of Ecospeed can be found on this page.)