AMSTERDAM – AkzoNobel’s Yacht Coatings business is launching a biocide-free fouling control range in Northern Europe. The range’s first product, called B-Free Explore, will be rolled out in Germany, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden starting in January.
The Dutch paints and coatings multinational says B-Free features “a specially-developed, unique silicone polymer technology which produces an exceptionally smooth and slick hull, helping to reduce drag.”
Fouling happens when microorganisms such as barnacles, slime and algae settle on a boat hull. With B-Free Explore, any that do, says AkzoNobel, can be wiped away by hand or water jet. “We’ve developed a high-performance technology which allows boaters to maintain a clean, smooth hull,” says Simon Parker, Director of AkzoNobel’s Marine and Protective Coatings business. “It’s based on proven technology.”
B-Free Explore is part of AkzoNobel’s International brand.
Jemma Lampkin, Global Commercial Director for AkzoNobel’s Yacht Coatings business, says it responds to boaters’ growing concern about their environmental impact, “but they still require technologies that deliver high-performance fouling control. B-Free Explore provides a stand-out solution for both of these challenges.”
Crafted for the leisure boat market, the launch of B-Free Explore caps a five-year development program. It can be applied to new hulls or on existing antifouling coats. These need not be removed, making it simple for boaters to embrace AkzoNobel’s new technology quickly.
As a biocide-free product, says AkzoNobel, B-Free Explore provides a smooth hull surface reducing a boat’s carbon footprint.
