Graphite Innovation & Technologies, which does business as GIT Coatings, has been hired by Halifax Transit to apply its graphene-based coatings to the hull and propeller of the Rita Joe ferry that plies Halifax Harbour.

Coatings have been applied to the 24-metre long vessel, which is named for Rita Joe, a Cape Breton-born poet of the  Mi'kmaq First Nation.,

The Halifax-based company’s graphene-based coatings are free of biocides, have ultra-low VOC content and smooth finish to minimize drag and reduce the overall emissions of the vessel, the company said in a statement.

“We look forward to the results of this new product as the ferry is in service,” said Mervin David, Manager of Ferry Operations.

The Halifax-based company has also recently announced that it will be moving to a carbon neutral facility in Dartmouth.

Founded in 2017, the company said its products are used on over 100 oceangoing vessels globally, reducing the impact traditional marine coatings have on the environment.

It recently closed a $10.2 million Series A funding round led by BDC Capital’s ClimateTech Fund as it looks to scale up its commercialization activities.

GIT’s Series A round comes after new international laws governing ship emissions with tighter pollution controls that require operators to calculate and report each vessel’s “carbon intensity indicator” rating — an expansion of the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships.

Graphene is a carbon-based material that is 200 times stronger than steel and efficiently conducts heat and electricity. It also serves to reduce friction, in turn reducing ships’ fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.

GIT bills its coatings as one way for companies to lower their emissions by allowing for more efficient operations.