In 1974, International Paint Marine Coatings met the challenge to combating rising fuel costs with the introduction of the Intersmooth SPC antifouling coating system. For the first time, a dynamic solution to an unsolved problem — control of fouling on underwater surfaces of ships — was now available. International Paint also resolved a problem that has persisted since the first ship was built, the progressive decline of speed versus power over time, due to physical roughening of the hull.
The unique characteristic of Intersmooth SPC antifouling is that its surface hydrolyzes when in contact with seawater, polishing as the water passes over the hull. Biocides, chemically and physically combined with the copolymer paint medium, are then released, protecting the surface from fouling. The rate at which Intersmooth SPC polishes is greater on peaks of physical roughness due to turbulence. The vessel's surface becomes smoother as it trades.
Intersmooth SPC performance extends far beyond the chemistry of the paint in the can. The key, as every shipowner knows, is experience. Monitored experience on more than 400 vessels controlled by nearly 200 owners—representing every major shipping interest in the world since 1974—has confirmed that Intersmooth SPC is the solution to: eliminating fouling penalties; improving vessel performance through hull smoothing; extending in-service periods; and maximizing operational revenues.
International Paint has not rested on its success. Fouling control achieved with Intersmooth SPC enabled operators to extend drydock intervals. But naturally, even longer periods at sea were desired.
Control of macroscopic fouling—weeds and barnacles—revealed that even slimes affect performance and must be controlled. Emphasized was the old problem of physical roughness, one costing money every day a ship remains at sea.
International embarked on a massive research program to understand and solve these newly recognized problems. International Dataplan was developed to quantitatively assess hull coatings' performance on all types of vessels, under all operating conditions. International Paint Marine Coatings worked in collaboration with universities and other research institutions to develop new techniques to measure and analyze hull roughness. Scientists at International Paint's worldwide Research Center then refined and tested new Intersmooth SPC formulations.
Intersmooth SPC keys on the concentration of biocides and their corresponding "release" rate. Products can be engineered with different characteristics to cope with different circumstances, ranging from the rate of biocide release in static conditions, to the rate of hull smoothing.
Accelerating experience at sea, in the drydock, and the laboratory, has enabled International to recognize that no singular product can provide all the answers. As a result, the Intersmooth SPC Marine Coatings Family was created.
Intersmooth SPC-4 has the most extensive in-service track record within the Family. It was engineered for general trading conditions, for in-service periods of up to 30 months. It combines predictable fouling control with proven smoothing characteristics.
Intersmooth SPC-9 offers the same benefits of Intersmooth SPC-4, while specially designed for more severe fouling environments and low activity vessels. It has been used extensively for ships operating from Japan, where fouling is severe, and for ships operating with repeated idle periods (especially on coastal routes), such as ferries.
Intersmooth SPC-20 is the newest member of the SPC Family. It polishes more slowly than the other products, and used in combination with the SPC-4 or SPC-9 system, allows extended in-service periods beyond 30 months. It is also recommended where accelerated polishing might occur.
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