Towage company Kotug Canada, a partnership between Kotug International and Horizon Maritime Services, which say they are strongly committed to reducing impact from operations on the environment, has recently applied a new non-toxic noise reduction coatings to the hull of one of their vessels, the ‘KJ Gardner’.
Kotug Canada worked with Graphite Innovation and Technologies (GIT), a coatings company manufacturing graphene-based sustainable marine coatings. Kotug Canada used GIT’s XGIT-URN coating to help reduce underwater radiated noise emitted from the ship’s hull and the vibrations that disturb marine life. Aquatic life, such as mammals and the endangered Southern Resident Killer Whale reside within the area of employment for Kotug Canada’s vessels. These mammals rely on underwater noise to communicate, navigate, and find food.
The KJ Gardner is the first of three vessels using the GIT applications in support of Kotug Canada’s mission to reduce the impact on the environment, specifically related to the reduction of noise that potentially disturbs aquatic life in the Salish Sea and adjacent waters.
Steve Widmeyer, Director Kotug Canada, said: “This is a major step forward to strengthen our focus to be a sustainable company. We have set a high standard to meet these goals by using GIT’s XGIT-URN coating which significantly impact meeting those targets.”
Additionally applied to the KJ Gardner were GIT’s XGIT-Fuel and XGIT-Prop coatings, which are intended to enhance the reduced environmental impact through additional benefits of considerably improving fuel efficiency and decarbonisation. It is expected that over the next five years, this vessel will significantly reduce its CO2 emissions.
Mo AlGermozi, CEO GIT, said: “Our team is excited to work with Kotug Canada in meeting their sustainability goals. Our XGIT-URN, along with our other two marine coatings, will support their desire to maintain healthy and vibrant oceans while still supporting the needs of their clients. Our shared goal of reducing the environmental impact on the world’s oceans is of paramount importance. GIT is on a mission to contribute to the movement of green shipping activities in the world’s oceans.”
The KJ Gardner will be working in Northwestern Europe over the next few months. She will then venture to the Western Coast of Canada, specifically the Salish Sea, host to a vibrant marine ecosystem. The other vessels receiving such coating applications will arrive in Canada later this year and early 2024.
