Paint concern

Nippon Paint Marine is seeing liner operators increasingly postpone dry dockings as they look to keep vessels operational to meet the recent surge in demand for container shipments. According to the coatings manufacturer, postponed dry dockings could possibly impair the long-term performance of hull coatings, possibly resulting in increased fouling, fuel consumption and emissions. Michael Friis, Nippon Paint Marine’s sales manager in Denmark, said: “Most coating systems are designed to perform reliably for 60 months. Hull performance needs to be monitored very closely indeed if dry-dockings are to be postponed as any commercial gain could be lost.”