Sustainable ship hull maintenance through development of decision support to the maritime industry and authorities

Research Project, 2022 – 2024

The project’s outcome is to demonstrate economic and societal savings/expenses by following more sustainable hull maintenance strategies than those practiced today. The most common antifouling coatings prevent biofouling by releasing chemically active substances, i.e. biocides. The biocide-use today exceeds the required dose to deter fouling, leading to unnecessary negative environmental impact. Alternative biocide-free coatings represent a minor share of the market, and demonstration of more sustainable alternatives is of the essence for uptake of best management practices.

Therefore, the current project would lead to:
1. Full-scale demonstration of recommendations from decision-support tool, namely coating retrofit and hull maintenance
2. Enhanced decision-support tool (HullMASTER 2.0), through i) novel data on alternative paint/solutions, ii) expanded geographical scope, iii) increased certainty in evidence of savings/expenses related to maintenance.
3. Knowledge transfer and training in evidence-based strategies for sustainable ship maintenance, through workshops, presentations, and technical/scientific publications.