Market acceptance for Selektope

Selektope is used to combat barnacle settlement. By temporarily stimulating the octopamine receptor, the barnacle larvae’s swimming behaviour is activated and the organisms are deterred from the hull.

Its developer, Gothenburg based bio developer, I-Tech, said it offers an organic, non-metal compound with efficacy proven at 0.1% w/w.

The approval means that Selektope is now permitted for use under the EU Biocidal Products Directive in professional and non-professional antifouling products throughout the EU from 1 January 1 2016.

Philip Chaabane, managing director, I-Tech, said: “Now all antifouling coatings suppliers are at liberty to offer innovation by deploying Selektope, safe in the knowledge that they are fully approved in Japan, Korea, China and Europe.”

Selektope deters barnacles from settling on ship hulls by stimulating the swimming action of larvae. It is included as a 0.1% constituent of antifouling coatings – a fraction of the active substance needed to achieve comparable performance if traditional copper biocides are used.

I-Tech reached a non-exclusive commercial agreement covering the use of Selektope in 2014 with Chugoku Marine Paints (CMP). The project will see new copper-free product from CMP applied to the side-walls of the vessel Calypso for Swedish operator Laurin Maritime. The IMO II tanker is undergoing its first five year survey at Singapore yard Sembcorp.