Dorset, UK — Monday 16 February — Aquarius Marine Coatings Ltd, manufacturer of Coppercoat®, the world’s longest lasting antifoul system, today announced the immediate introduction of a new 100% plant-based epoxy resin base. This innovation further strengthens Coppercoat’s position as the most sustainable and environmentally responsible active antifoul available.
When launched over 30 years ago, Coppercoat‘s environmental credentials were and remain class leading, with it being the world’s first water-based and low-VOC epoxy antifoul. But now, by replacing the resin base with an innovative bio-based version, carbon emissions are reduced by 34%, thereby saving 205 gm of CO2 for every 500 gm of Coppercoat resin produced. This further helps boat operators, boat builders and boatyards to fulfil their sustainability pledges.
Coppercoat is unique in the global antifoul coatings market, offering up to 20 years of protection against biofouling from a single application thanks to its exceptionally low leach rate and durable formulation. Independent research shows that over a 10-year period, when compared to a typical traditional ablative antifoul paint, the use of Coppercoat reduces VOC emissions, biocidal release, and micro-plastics pollution by approximately 90%.
Unlike conventional antifoul paints which commonly rely on ablative or self-polishing mechanisms, Coppercoat is the unique combination of a semi-permanent two-part water-based epoxy resin and ultra-fine pure copper powder. Once cured, it forms a hard, long-lasting coating with a very low biocidal leach rate. With pure copper, a naturally occurring element, being the only biocide within the coating, and a leach rate of just 10% of that of a typical eroding antifoul paint, Coppercoat is renowned to be the most environmentally responsible choice of active antifoul.
Commenting on this announcement, Jayson Kenny, CEO of Aquarius Marine Coatings Ltd, said:
“Our oceans are responsible for the air we breathe and the food on our plates, yet they are under unprecedented pressure. The future of our seas depends on the decisions we make today. At Coppercoat, we are committed to continuously evolve our products so that protecting hulls and marine structures no longer comes at the expense of the environment.
Our vision is simple: cleaner hulls, cleaner seas, healthier costal ecosystems and a future where protecting vessels and marine structures no longer means unnecessarily polluting the waters we depend upon.”
