spending 30 per cent of time in port in west Mediterranean and Brazilian waters.” Further evidence for
reduced environmental
impact and costs of foul release technology based on silicon elastomeric resins comes from International Paint. As part of its commitment to the environment, Norwegian Cruise Line applied biocide-free, Intersleek foul release coatings to the 78,309gt Norwegian Sun when it was built in Germany in 2001. During drydocking in the Bahamas last year, it was noted that the Intersleek system had performed well and was in good condition with no animal or weed fouling. Commenting on the performance of the Intersleek system, Brian Swensen, senior vice president, technical operations, Norwegian Cruise Line said, “We are very pleased with the performance of the Intersleek system. At Norwegian Sun’s two interim drydocks, we only applied a total of 600 litres of Intersleek. For a standard antifouling system, we would have used approximately 6,000 litres. This has resulted in a 90 per cent reduction in VOC emissions and a 100 per cent reduction in biocide release.” Efficiency improvements with Intersleek 900 have also been confirmed by Cunard, with significant savings on its flagship liner Queen Mary 2 since converting from a silyl-based TBT-free self- polishing copolymer antifouling in November 2008. From its own detailed studies on the propulsion efficiency of Queen Mary 2, Cunard has confirmed that since the application of the Intersleek 900 system to the vertical sides, vessel efficiency has improved by over 10 per cent.
The effectiveness of fluoroploymers to maintain clean hulls and reduce emissions from vessels was highlighted in a report from one of the shipping industry’s leading research bodies, Professor James Corbett’s Energy and Environmental Research Associates. According to International Paint, this report has proven that the eco-efficiency benefits of fluoropolymer foul release technology when applied to tanker, bulk cargo and other vessel types can reduce greenhouse gases and other emissions by an average of 9 per cent.
For some, though, such claims are always open to challenge. Critics argue that, no matter which coating is applied, a ship will naturally move through the water more smoothly if it has been blast cleaned during drydocking. Furthermore, they argue, the linkage between hull smoothness and reduced emissions is tenuous: traditionally, extra smoothness was more likely to lead to some ships being driven faster, not to fuel savings. On the face of it, such seemingly persuasive
arguments could be readily countered by observing the growing propensity for owners to operate slow steaming policies specifically in pursuit of fuel (and consequently emissions) savings. Again, while no one would dispute that, depending upon the fouling control system employed, a newly grit blasted or hydroblasted, freshly coated hull will perform better than a hull at the end of its docking cycle, according to International Paint, the point is surely to measure how quickly hull performance deteriorates over time in the context of the coating systems applied. International Paint has stated that it recognises
Queen Mary 2’s Intersleek 900 coating has made the vessel 10 per cent more efficient since 2008
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