In 2026 Ecoshield has once again proven its versatility in a wide range of maritime applications, protecting critical areas on vessels with very different designs, operating profiles and requirements. From container vessels, passenger ships and bulk carriers to tugs, tankers, naval ships, and oceanographic vessels, the coating has been selected wherever conventional coating systems struggle to provide lasting protection against corrosion, erosion and cavitation.
While Ecoshield is well known for its use on rudders, it has also been successfully applied to bulbous bows, Azipods, nozzles, recycle tanks, scrubbers pipes and outlets, energy-saving devices and thruster tunnels.
These underwater components operate in some of the harshest conditions on a vessel. Constant exposure to seawater is only part of the challenge. These areas can also be subjected to severe cavitation, erosion and corrosion, creating damage that conventional coating systems struggle to withstand.
For shipowners, the consequences are familiar: coating breakdown, steel repairs, repeated surface preparation and repainting during subsequent dockings. Ecoshield was developed to break this cycle by providing a durable protective system specifically for the areas of a vessel that require more than conventional protection.
Protection designed for demanding areas
Ecoshield is an extra-strength, glassflake-reinforced coating designed to protect rudders and other underwater running gear against cavitation and corrosion. Over the years, well over thousand applications have been carried out worldwide, with major shipping companies extending its use from individual test applications to multiple vessels and different underwater components.
That progression is significant. In many cases, owners first selected Ecoshield to solve an existing problem on a single component. After seeing the condition of the protected area at a later inspection or drydocking, they chose to use the coating elsewhere in their fleet.
A different approach to lifecycle maintenance
The value of a protective coating should not be measured only at the moment it is applied. What matters is how well it performs throughout the years that follow.
Recent inspections provide a clear illustration. Two vessels whose rudders were coated with Ecoshield during newbuild in 2019 returned to drydock after approximately six years in operation. The Ecoshield remained intact, with no cavitation damage or corrosion requiring repair. Fouling could simply be removed by high-pressure washing without damaging the coating.
Results like these demonstrate why applying Ecoshield at newbuild can be particularly attractive. Protecting vulnerable components before damage begins avoids starting the familiar cycle of deterioration, repair and repainting. Instead of treating cavitation damage as an unavoidable maintenance item, owners can prevent the problem from developing in the first place.
The same principle applies to vessels already in service. When existing cavitation damage is present, the affected surface can first be rebuilt with Ecofix, Subsea Industries’ durable filler system, before Ecoshield is applied. This provides a complete repair and protection solution.
Proven across fleets and applications
Long-term experience is one of the strongest arguments for Ecoshield. Shipping companies have used the coating for many years on rudders and increasingly on thruster tunnels, energy-saving devices and other vulnerable areas.
The range of applications is broad, with recent case studies showing successful use on scrubber outlets, Azipod propulsion units and recycle tanks, because the underlying requirement remains the same: these components need protection capable of surviving conditions that can rapidly damage conventional systems.
Ecoshield also offers a ten-year guarantee, giving owners additional confidence in the durability of the system. Rather than budgeting for repeated coating repairs at every docking, operators can take a longer-term approach to protecting critical underwater equipment.
Protect once instead of repairing repeatedly
Every drydocking creates pressure to complete inspections, repairs and scheduled maintenance within a limited period. Avoiding unnecessary steel repairs and recoating therefore has benefits beyond the direct cost of paint.
A rudder or thruster tunnel that remains protected requires less intervention, helping simplify the docking scope and reducing the risk of unexpected repair work. Across a fleet, eliminating repeated maintenance on these areas can represent a substantial operational advantage.
Ecoshield changes the question from how often vulnerable running gear will need to be repaired to how that damage can be prevented altogether.
For newbuilds and vessels already in operation, the objective is the same: apply a coating capable of remaining in place and protecting critical components year after year. With a growing track record across vessel types, fleets and underwater applications, Ecoshield provides shipowners with a proven way to achieve exactly that.
