Silicone coating milestone reached

One of the vessels coated is Tangier Maersk, the first in a new series of six 9,000 teu container vessels ordered by Maersk.

“This milestone shows how effectively Hempaguard NB can be applied during vessel construction when shipyards, owners and Hempel’s coating and application specialists work closely together,” said Alexander Enström, head of New Build at Hempel.

“It provides a practical pathway for introducing silicone coatings in newbuilding without schedule impact.”

The successful application carried out at Yangzijiang Shipyard in China in October 2025 will inform the future use of the coating with additional vessels under the same newbuilding contract scheduled to be coated during 2026.

“As fuel efficiency remains one of our top priorities, we are continuously refining coating solutions on our vessels to ensure optimal hydrodynamic performance,” explained Ole Graa Jakobsen, head of Fleet Technology at Maersk.

“The successful application during the newbuilding process marks a significant milestone and a step towards more efficient newbuilding workflows.”

Jie Hong, director of the QA&QC Department at Yangzijiang Shipyard, added, “This project has demonstrated that advanced silicone coatings can be applied during newbuilding without disruption or delays, giving our yard a valuable competitive edge.”