4.26.2007 - 09:30am ET

(CSRwire) Arnhem, the Netherlands, April 26, 2007 - The Intersleek® 700 foul release coating developed by Akzo Nobel's Marine and Protective Coatings business has received the Queen's Award for Enterprise - the UK's most prestigious honor for business performance.

Recognized in the Innovation category, the silicone-based product - marketed under the renowned International® brand name - contains no biocides and prevents fouling organisms such as barnacles from settling onto a vessel's underwater hull.

It's the fourth time the business has won the award, following on from previous successes in 1967 and 1977 for Export Achievement, and in 1981 for Technology.

"We're delighted to have won this year's Queen's Award," said Marine and Protective Coatings Market Director Grant Russell. "We're particularly pleased to have won this time because a critical element of our strategy is to continually strive for technological advances. To do this we must continuously improve, stay ahead of legislation and develop a constant stream of innovative and environmentally responsible products that meet customer and market needs. This award clearly demonstrates that we are making substantial progress towards that goal."

Intersleek 700 is designed for use on scheduled ships with in-service speeds of between 15 and 30 knots. It provides a slippery, low friction surface onto which fouling organisms have difficulty settling. Any that do settle normally do so only weakly, and can usually be easily removed by simple wiping/washing, or by the vessel moving through the water at speed.

Performance and environmental benefits include reduced fuel consumption, reduced carbon dioxide emissions, no leaching of biocides into the sea and reduced wash water treatment costs at drydock.

Intersleek 700 was recently complemented by the introduction of the next generation of foul release technology - International's Intersleek® 900. Setting even higher performance standards with improved fuel efficiency and reduced emissions, Intersleek 900 is a unique patented fluoropolymer foul release coating which represents the very latest advances in fouling control technology, significantly improving upon the performance of even the Queen's Award-winning Intersleek® 700 system.

It means that for the very first time, all vessels above 10 knots - including scheduled ships, tankers, bulk vessels, general cargo ships and feeder containers - can now benefit from foul release technology.

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