Aquarius Marine Coatings Ltd. (AMC) has announced the launch of its award-winning anti-foul coating, Coppercoat-Commercial, in the offshore oil and gas sector. The coating, which contains exceptionally high levels of copper, a natural anti-microbial agent, protects sub-sea infrastructure against layers of plant, animal and microbe growth while meeting environmental and safety standards. It ensures that underwater infrastructure continues to meet expected performance levels, contributes to the integrity of structures, and helps reduce maintenance costs.
The launch follows the completion of a five-year trial funded by EDF Energy and undertaken by Plymouth Marine Labs (PML) in the UK, which concluded that Coppercoat-Commercial is the best protective anti-foul solution for underwater turbines. Although the trial was carried out with a view to supporting wave and hydro power facilities, the same coating can be applied equally to any static or dynamic sub-sea structure to enhance the longevity and efficiency of both fixed and floating platforms, particularly in areas of significant marine flow.
Further research conducted by Dr Tom Vance at PML looked at loss of paint thickness over time and showed that Coppercoat-Commercial was also the most effective anti-foul in terms of longevity, losing just 4.3 per cent over the five-year trial period.
“We developed Coppercoat for the marine industry 30 years ago,” says Jayson Kenny of AMC. “Since then, we have perfected our products and gained plenty of first-hand experience of what happens to vessel’s hulls, and sub-sea equipment when left unprotected.
“Even after just two years in benign harbour waters, there can be up to 25cm of growth that becomes home to an entire ecosystem of marine life, all facilitated by microbial action. Apply that principle to a 1,000 tonne floating platform, with 100 square metres of surface area in far deeper waters and within a few months that platform will weigh 1,200 tonnes with a surface areas closer to 200 square metres because of foul. That creates serious drag, and strains tethers and anchorage points. A heavier and clogged-up asset soon becomes a major problem for maintenance, transportation and logistics teams.”
The launch of Coppercoat-Commercial for the offshore oil and gas sector comes as operators and oilfield services providers look to exploit opportunities in deeper waters where lifting, cleaning and replacing subsea assets becomes significantly more difficult. It can form an important component of well-integrity strategies and provides protection against forms of degradation that are not prevented by standard anti-corrosion and anti-erosion products.
AMC’s experience in the marine sector has demonstrated that Coppercoat-Commercial can last for 20 to 30 years depending on usage and conditions. The hard-wearing, densely copper-filled resin is suitable for both cold and tropical waters, and can be applied by roller or spray and can be used on all surfaces including steel, concrete, aluminium, GRP and various polymers. As it is both water-based and free from volatile organic compounds (VOCs), Coppercoat-Commercial is also the most environmentally safe bio-active anti-foul product on the market.