MARINE COATINGS:
Global shipping burns nearly 300 million tons of fuel annually, frequently accounting for over 50% of daily operating costs. Much of this fuel consumption arises from the 50–80+% of vessel resistance coming from hull skin friction, meaning that a ship’s hull coating has a direct and significant impact on overall performance. Biofouling worsens the situation over time by requiring up to $40% more fuel to maintain speed while reducing the vessel’s top speed, causing an individual large vessel between $0.5 and $2M per year in excess fuel. Today's commercial hull coatings typically only slow degradation — none can reduce drag beyond a clean and smooth hull & allow for an immediate, day one performance improvement in fuel burn. For the Navy, fuel efficiency directly extends range and reduces dependence on at-sea resupply, a critical vulnerability in contested logistics environments. For commercial operators, IMO carbon intensity regulations impose escalating penalties on underperforming fleets.
COLD WEATHER PERFORMANCE
Extreme cold compounds these maritime challenges and extends into land-based activities. Current solutions for ice, frost, and cold-weather degradation rely on toxic glycols, corrosive salts, or bulky insulation layers that increase the logistics footprint and degrade performance. Arctic and sub-Arctic operations — from aviation and structure de-icing to warfighter cold-weather gear to heat pump efficiency — lack passive, durable, non-toxic materials that can function without constant reapplication or energy input. These gaps span a combined addressable market exceeding $12B across HVAC thermal management, commercial aviation de-icing, and high-performance cold-weather apparel.
SOLUTIONS:
AegisCoat is commercializing validated technology portfolios to address these issues: (1) marine hull coatings including an active drag-reducing material which reduces frictional resistance by 15-30% in representative laboratory trials, resulting in a “better than smooth” hull with 10+% fuel savings and range extension from day one; additionally, dedicated antifouling marine coatings prevent buildup on marine surfaces, from vessels to offshore energy platforms; (2) bioinspired ice-control materials— non-toxic, PFAS-free, and non-corrosive—provide increased performance and efficiency in Arctic environments.
