Dartmouth-based GIT Coatings, which creates biocide-free, graphene-based marine coatings, has opened a new facility and received an additional $5 million in funding from Export Development Canada. The money was presented during the opening of the company’s new global headquarters on Wilkinson Avenue last week.

The new premises will help the company, officially called Graphite Innovation & Technologies, deliver advanced nanomaterial marine coatings by boosting its capacity to 1 million litres. The venture’s coatings are currently applied to about 500 vessels across 20 countries, enabling shipowners to reduce fuel consumption, cut CO₂ emissions, and eliminate toxic copper and silicon oil release into oceans. The company said its products have so far prevented the release of around 250,000 tonnes of CO₂ and copper pollution.

“Today is a proud milestone for our entire team and for Canada’s ocean and clean-tech communities,” said GIT Chief Executive Mo AlGermozi in a statement.

“This world-class site lets us manufacture at scale, accelerate R&D, and serve customers in every major shipping market … With 95 percent of our revenue coming from exports, we’re proving that Canadian clean technology can compete globally while creating high-quality jobs at home.”

GIT manufactures a suite of graphene coatings designed to prevent corrosion and prevent the buildup of organisms like barnacles and algae, called biofouling in the industry, which shipping lines have historically prevented with poisons called biocides.

Graphene, in contrast, is a carbon-based material that is 200 times stronger than steel and efficiently conducts heat and electricity, while being safer for the environment than conventional solutions. It also serves to reduce friction, indirectly cutting ships’ fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, the company has said.

GIT Coatings was founded nine years ago. It has teams in global shipping hubs in Singapore, Germany and Greece. Its deals include coating the fleets of Hong Kong shipping giant Pacific Basin and Helsinki-based Finnlines.

The $5 million funding from Export Development Canada is designed to further expand GIT’s global market presence and export capabilities.

The company previously worked out of 1 Research Drive in Dartmouth, where economic development organization, Invest Nova Scotia, houses a production incubation centre for local companies. The Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency also helped fund GIT’s expansion.