Biofouling Control Solutions for Reduced Energy Consumption in Vessels

Conference poster, 2017

Without effective fouling control coatings, the accumulation of marine growth on the hull will be slowing down the ship due to increased drag and hence increasing the fuel consumption and carbon footprints. The latter is an important endeavour to limit the global temperature rise according to international agreements (IMO,2009).Therefore there is a huge commitment on ship operations with particular interest in obtaining efficient hull coatings with optimal hydrodynamic performance not only as newly applied but also under “in-service” or real-life conditions.

 Within this context testing of new generation marine coatings necessitates the use of reliable experimental facilities to assess the hydrodynamic performance of marine coatings under the realistic testing environments.     

This study overviews the available facilities which are integral part of experimental research into coating’s roughness and hydrodynamic characteristics, as well as stating the research plan for 1st phase of newly initiated project.