Tuesday, Nov 29th – Portland, ME – Finsulate USA will be participating to its first International WorkBoat Show from Nov 30th, to Dec 2nd in New Orleans, USA, to showcase its environmentally friendly alternative to toxic antifouling paints.
Finsulate’s innovative wrap technology is applied in sheets to the hulls of vessels and surfaces of floating marine equipment. It works by mimicking the foul release properties of the spines of sea urchins, preventing the unwanted buildup of algae and organisms like barnacles or mussels, improving fuel efficiency, and reducing reliance on toxic antifouling paints traditionally found on the underside of boats.
More than 26 million gallons of antifouling paint are sold worldwide each year with an estimated global market size of more than $5 billion dollars. Traditional paints require significant annual maintenance including scraping, sanding, and repainting which adds cost and waste, while also presenting health hazards. Finsulate provides a non-toxic, cost effective and durable solution that helps limit the time a vessel or piece of equipment needs to be out of the water for maintenance.
“In addition to leisure craft, Finsulate is prioritizing solutions for operators in aquaculture, commercial fishing, transportation, and offshore wind energy, as these sectors are highly sensitive to fuel use and hungry for new ways to realize operational efficiencies.” said Bernard Hidier and Sunshine Mechtenberg, Co-Founders of Finsulate USA said
The benefits don’t stop there. Finsulate inventor Rik Breur, added “conventional antifouling paints, without exception, try to prevent the on-growth of algae and other organisms via the toxic substances they contain. The paints do not last long and their antifouling effect is weakened whenever the ship lies still. Waters unfortunately get polluted by biocides and heavy metals, and the paint must be scraped, sanded, and reapplied regularly. Finsulate solves this persistent problem.”