AkzoNobel Appoints Global HullCare Manager

AkzoNobel Marine Coatings announced it has named Colin Mercer as its first-ever Global HullCare Manager.

Mercer takes on the role following a 23-year history of delivering sustainability goals across multiple AkzoNobel business units. Since 2018, he has been the Marine Business Manager in the MEA - championing the environmental sustainability journey in the Middle East.

His key ambition in this new role is to build a seamless management program for owner partners that allows them to effortlessly manage the performance of their vessels, while at the same time helping them to ensure they remain compliant with any impending legislation around EEDI, EEXI and CII.

“As a business, we are committed to being at the absolute forefront of developing the products and solutions that enable our owner partners to reach their sustainability and performance goals,” Mercer said. “As the industry faces an ever more stringent regulatory environment our ambition is to provide our owner partners with stand-out, end-to-end support.”

Mercer’s appointment follows the recent launch of Intertrac HullCare hull management package, which offers operators fuel and emissions savings, while guaranteeing speed loss of up to 1% over a 10-year period.

“With Intertrac HullCare we have developed an unrivalled hull management system that supports our clients in reducing greenhouse gasses alongside the prevention of transfer of invasive species. “It is achieved through a combination of high-performance hull coating technology, cutting-edge ROV drones and big data performance monitoring, together with proven hull cleaning techniques - allowing for AkzoNobel to make accurate hull performance decisions with our customers,” Mercer said.

Among Mercer’s top priorities will be a focus on innovation. “Our focus going forward will be on developing the most innovative sustainable marine industry services in the marketplace,” he said. “The technology in coatings that AkzoNobel manufactures today with world-leading biocide-free systems and anticorrosives will allow for much longer in-service periods between dry dockings - and with HullCare these can be extended further than ever before.

“These innovations will drive down the paint volumes required in operating a vessel over a 10-year period. Ultimately this means that the main opportunity we have is to really reduce the environmental impacts we have on the planet, through lowering VOC use due to lower paint consumptions, zero biocides leaching in our oceans, industry-leading speed loss guarantees resulting in lower greenhouse gas emissions and being a driving force in setting industry standards.

“Having dedicated the past two decades to delivering AkzoNobel sustainability goals through multiple business units I am eager to help deliver greater performance and sustainability returns for our customers by providing them direct and bespoke advice for their hull care requirements.”