Wan Hai Adds Nippon Paint Marine Hull Coatings on Newbuilds

Wan Hai Joins Growing List of Nippon Paint Marine Customers

According to a report by The Maritime Executive, based on a Nippon Paint Marine press release, container line Wan Hai is specifying Nippon Paint Marine hull and surface coatings for its newbuild projects. The announcement comes as Nippon Paint Marine reveals that more than 2,500 vessels using its coatings are now registered on the RightShip platform, which tracks how technology adoption contributes to safer, more sustainable shipping.

Data-Backed Performance Claims

The RightShip registration effort is central to the story. Nippon Paint Marine’s partnership with RightShip is designed to quantify, rather than simply assert, the efficiency benefits of hull coatings. Two examples cited illustrate the range of outcomes: an 81,000 DWT bulk carrier coated with FASTAR XI saw a 2.5% cut in required propulsion power across its operating profile, lifting its GHG rating from C to B+. A much larger 324,000 DWT ore carrier achieved a 5.94% reduction in propulsion power after the same coating was applied, supporting an A+ GHG rating.

The company says its coatings, which include the biocide-free AQUATERRAS line alongside FASTAR and A-LF Sea, use nanodomain, self-polishing, self-smoothing technology intended to reduce hull friction while limiting environmental impact. Nippon Paint Marine states that its low-friction coatings have contributed to more than 45 million tonnes of CO2 savings across customer fleets since their introduction.

Long-Term Customer Feedback

Shipowner Wah Kwong Maritime, a Nippon Paint Marine customer of 20 years, now has five vessels using the coatings listed on RightShip. The company said its fleet-wide decision to specify Nippon Paint Marine has produced tangible operational and environmental results, crediting FASTAR’s sustained hull efficiency with lower fuel consumption and improved GHG ratings, achieved without disrupting trading schedules.

Kazuaki Masuda of Nippon Paint Marine’s Technical Division said the shift toward lower-emission shipping is a recurring theme in customer discussions and a driver of the company’s R&D focus, adding that data gathered through partnerships like the one with RightShip helps validate coating performance and supports owners in pursuing more sustainable operations.

What It Means for Owners and Managers

For ship owners, managers, and charterers, this development underscores a broader shift in how hull coating decisions are being justified. Rather than relying on manufacturer claims alone, verified propulsion-power and GHG-rating data tied to a third-party platform like RightShip gives commercial and technical teams a clearer basis for comparing coating systems and forecasting fuel savings. This matters increasingly for charterers screening vessels against emissions criteria and for owners preparing newbuilds, like Wan Hai’s, where coating selection is locked in at the design stage and hard to revisit later.

It also reinforces the operational value of independent condition and performance verification. GHG rating improvements attributed to hull coatings depend heavily on the vessel maintaining that coating’s intended performance throughout its service life — something that periodic hull condition surveys and draft/performance monitoring can help confirm. Owners investing in advanced coatings to meet decarbonization targets have a corresponding interest in ensuring, through independent inspection, that actual in-service hull condition and fuel performance continue to track the efficiency gains claimed at the point of application. As emissions data becomes more central to commercial decisions, from charter party terms to newbuild specifications, the credibility of that data — and the surveys that help substantiate it — will only grow in importance.

Wan Hai’s adoption of Nippon Paint Marine coatings for its newbuild program signals continued momentum in the industry toward coatings backed by measurable, platform-verified performance data rather than manufacturer assurances alone.

Reviewed by Ibrahim Halil Ceylan, Marine Surveyor at Apeks Marine.