On June 14, 2024, the U.S. House of Representatives (Washington, DC, USA) passed legislation to commence the U.S. Navy transitioning away from copper-based antifouling coatings.
The legislation directed the Secretary of Defense to develop “a timeline to remove existing copper-based antifouling coatings from naval vessels by January 1, 2028.”
New U.S. Legislation Details
The legislation, which was passed as part of the Servicemember Quality of Life Improvement and National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025, called for a specific assessment of antifouling effectiveness measured by:
- The duration of time that a coating prevents biological adhesion, corrosion, and degradation of vessel surfaces;
- The environmental damage caused by the coating’s shedding and leaching;
- The effect of the coating on fuel efficiency and vessel speed.
The U.S. Naval Surface Warfare Center, Carderock, estimates that vessel speed is reduced by up to 10% from biofouling. It can also require up to a 40% increase in fuel consumption to counter the added drag.
Antifouling, Foul-Release Benefits
As a spinout of Harvard University, Adaptive Surface Technologies (AST) (Hopkinton, Massachusetts, USA) believes this U.S. House measure is “a major step forward” for reducing the Navy’s operational costs and increasing environmental stewardship of U.S. coastal regions.
AST offers copper-free anti-fouling coatings that have been subjected to 60-plus months of testing while demonstrating superior antifouling performance at international testing sites.
Naval vessels typically have dry-dock schedules that are on 60-month cycles. According to AST, its copper-free antifouling technology provides a foul-release coating with superior performance, as validated by third-party testing data.
According to the American Coatings Association, the marine coatings market is currently in the range of $9 billion, and it is growing by approximately 5% to 7% annually. Of this market, approximately 64% comes from antifouling or fouling release coatings.
About Adaptive Surface Technologies
As a world leader in repellent surfaces, Adaptive Surface Technologies, Inc. (AST) describes itself as an industrial technology company that produces additives and coatings used for a wide range of industrial, marine, and packaging applications.
AST has been backed by groups such as Akzo Nobel, Tokyo Electron Ventures, BASF Ventures, Anzu Partners, and other strategic and financial investors. Research and development for AST has been funded by the U.S. Office of Naval Research (ONR) and the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), and AST has served as a subcontractor for General Dynamics Electric Boat.
Source: AST, www.adaptivesurface.tech.