BW Epic Kosan partnered with GIT Coatings to expand proactive hull management across selected vessels in its LPG fleet, using five coated LPG gas carriers (with one more in dry dock) and reporting an out-of-dock power gain of approximately 6%.
The carrier operator’s push centers on keeping hulls clean during commercial operation, supported by GIT’s coating technology, onboard robotic cleaning, and a structured advisory service that ties cleaning decisions to fouling-risk monitoring.
Proactive hull management: coating plus cleaning planning
BWEK and GIT Coatings aim to move away from reactive cleaning after performance loss and toward planned inspections that remove early-stage slime before it hardens into more resistant fouling. In that model, hull condition is tracked with vessel-specific planning and fouling-risk monitoring, then backed by inspection and performance reviews with cleaning recommendations.
GIT’s proactive hull management advisory service also includes support with port approvals and continuous operational follow-up, including regular review meetings with BWEK and the cleaning technology partner. As BWEK scales the approach, coating durability and cleanability are positioned as the gating factors for whether proactive hull management can stay viable across operations.
HullPIC 2026 case study reports operational clean-hull performance
A case study presented at HullPIC – 2026 followed one LPG carrier through more than 12 months of commercial operation. The study documented both the out-of-dock performance gain and the ability to maintain a clean hull during service.
In the case study, the vessel achieved extremely low average hull roughness of 60–70 micrometers after application. Over the following year, inspection footage showed the vessel remained free of hard fouling, with early-stage fouling removed before it developed further, and no visible coating damage observed after each cleaning event.
Type approval and durability checks for repeated cleaning
GIT Coatings has received Lloyd’s Register Enhanced Type Approval for the coating. The approval is used to validate that the coating maintains its performance after repeated cleaning, supporting the underlying premise that proactive cleaning cycles won’t degrade performance over time.
Scaling beyond hard foul-release to XGIT-FORCE in 2026
Building on operational learnings from the case study vessels, BWEK adopted GIT’s XGIT-FORCE coating. GIT describes XGIT-FORCE as having improved static antifouling performance and enhanced mechanical durability.
The system is designed to support longer cleaning intervals and better resistance to reactive cleaning when required. In 2026, the first vessel coated with XGIT-FORCE showed an average hull roughness of 38 micrometers; BWEK and GIT characterized that outcome as extremely low relative to industry standard.
Environment and efficiency targets tied to fuel and CII
BWEK frames proactive hull management as supporting fuel efficiency and lower emissions to air. The approach is also described as reducing the environmental impact to water associated with aggressive reactive cleaning of biocidal self-polishing antifouling coatings, while aligning hull performance with fuel costs, CII, and charterparty expectations.
“Our focus is on practical technologies and operational measures that support vessel efficiency and environmental performance,” said BWEK CEO Jakob Bode. “This collaboration with GIT Coatings has allowed us to evaluate a more proactive approach to hull performance management. The value goes beyond the coating itself: it is shown in the system around it and the collaboration required to make it work in daily operations.”