Many ships currently operating around the world have been and will be here for some time.

Unlike a new build, these ships were not designed with the issues in mind that face the industry today. Fuel consumption is something that dominates the cost of a ship-owners' operation and is becoming more of a concern as fuel prices increase and carbon tax looms.

Management of this is limited to concepts such as speed adjustment, hull and propeller condition and coatings, optimised voyage planning.  

Hull scrubbing has been an effective treatment against biofouling and the resulting fuel penalty. In recent years the International Marine Organisation (IMO) have defined the residue from hull scrubbing as ships waste and consequently comes under the 'Regulations for the Prevention of Pollution by Garbage from Ships'.

As a consequence hull scrubbing has been banned in many countries and the number is growing.

Biofouling of the underwater section of ship’s hull has a direct influence on the vessel performance. In many cases it can result in an increased resistance of 40%, a loss of speed of 2 knots and an increase in fuel consumption of 10% - 20% in order to maintain speed.

Hull Surface Treatment (HST), a recently launched solution to biofouling in Australia is experiencing some impressive results.

With hull growth costing an average Panamax $7000 a day, this diverless treatment is extremely cost effective. Designed as a pre-emptive strike against mature growth, HST applied every six months can save a ship over $1,000,000 per year in fuel costs.

With a consistently clean hull ship owners can also reconsider their periods of programmed dry-docking resulting in even more savings. This technology, causing no harm to anti-foul paints and no harm to the environment, is the only in-water solution to hull fouling available today.