KONGENS LYNGBY, Denmark - Cruise line owner and operator Silversea appointed coatings supplier Hempel to deliver coating solutions for its new-build 40,700 GT cruise ship Silver Muse. Alongside quality performance, it was vital for Silversea that its coatings delivered fuel savings and minimized maintenance costs. Silver Muse was built at the Fincantieri shipyard in Genoa Sestri Ponente, Italy, and delivered on April 3, 2017.

Silversea was impressed with Hempel’s understanding of the highly competitive cruise industry and the increasing pressure to improve operational efficiency while complying with strict environmental regulations. This led the company to select Hempel’s advanced fouling defense coating Hempaguard X7 to protect the hull of its new vessel.

Hempaguard X7 uses an advanced 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 maximizes operational efficiency. The effectiveness of Hempaguard X7 over an extended docking interval of up to 90 months helps minimize maintenance costs.

Kim Scheibel, Group Director, Marine/Container, New Building, Hempel A/S, 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. An effective hull coating must be trusted to deliver flexible protection. Hempaguard provides proven outstanding resistance to fouling during idle periods of up to 120 days and retains its effectiveness at all passage speeds.”

Roberto Martinoli, CEO of Silversea, said, “At Silversea, we are fully committed to operating in the most efficient way and with minimal impact on the marine environment. Hempaguard not only promises to deliver impressive fuel savings, which will help us contain our costs, but it also will incredibly help us to reduce CO₂ emissions. We are honored that Silver Muse was awarded the RINA GREEN PLUS voluntary notation, which is based on an environmental performance index that covers all aspects of the vessel’s impact on the environment, including carbon emissions.”

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 (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 coating) for the grey water tanks.