RE:Possible Future Market for Tungsten OxideYep, I'd forgotten about that faitly recent invention. If we could remove suface fouling from the hulls of ships they could save up to 40% in fuel costs . . . and that makes for a significant savings when you ALSO don't have to carry as much fuel, and hence have to haul it around with you to make port. The shipping industry, if it wasn't for falling fuel prices, would save a fortune. However with fuel prices were they are now, and the cost of the defouling process dropping, most shipping companies are putting a WO2 antifouling coating off for now.
A good co-ingredient for WO2 would be a capsium based binder that also takes advantage of the anti-fouling properties of biologically "damaging" materal, without putting a chemical "anti-biotic" on the hull that might effect harmless sea life. That's currently available WITHOUT a WO2 basepaint, and is very effective until the capsium wears from the hull, but larger ships still get painted with it because it works so well already.