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What are you Protecting?
Many surfaces require protection from bio-fouling on your vessel, each with its own particular requirements. Below, we’ll take a look at some of the biggest problem areas for bio-fouling and walk you through the pros and cons of some of the most common antifouling or Marine Growth Prevention Systems (MGPS), to help you make the right decisions.
Change is hard, but can save millions
Preventing unwanted bio-fouling costs the commercial shipping sector in the region of $100 billion annually, and there are big savings to be made if proper antifouling measures are employed.
Shipowners and managers may be reticent about changing their established Maintenance, Repair and Operating (MRO) schedules, but the right tool for the right job will keep floating assets working longer and more economically.
Box Coolers, Seachests & Pipework
Preventing bio-fouling in box coolers, sea chests and pipework is essential for ensuring that a vessel’s cooling system functions correctly. If fouling establishes in these locations, cooling capacity and flow rates can be severely reduced, which can lead to lengthy remedial work or even main equipment failure.
Propeller shafts & propellers
The condition of a vessel’s propeller and hull will have the biggest impact on fuel consumption and exhaust emissions. Despite having a much smaller surface area than the hull, the hydrodynamics of the propeller are critical to propulsive efficiency, engine load and ultimately the operator’s bottom-line.
Hulls & surfaces
Fouling on a ship’s hull increases hydrodynamic drag and creates a corresponding spike in fuel consumption and exhaust gas emissions. The worse it gets, the more expensive it becomes to operate the ship.