FOULING CONTROL TECHNOLOGIES AND THEIR RELATIVE IMPACT ON THE TOTAL ENERGY EFFICIENCY OF A VESSEL

摘要

The shipping industry is the most energy efficient way of transportation of goods. More stringent regulations on emissions, both to sea and to air, drive the need to further increase the energy efficiency of ships. The fuel cost for a ship can be up to 80% of the total operational cost. There is a direct correlation between the surface profile of a hull and friction through water. The higher the friction the higher the fuel consumption. Increased friction can be caused by the surface finish of the coating, mechanical impact and by the accumulation of marine biofouling. The goal of this paper is to present an overview of the antifouling technologies as well as the latest technical development of the commercially available antifouling coatings; from the most energy efficient hull coatings such as HEMPAGUARD X7 to economical solutions such as economical rosin based coatings developed for shorter dry docking intervals.