GLOBAL towage operator Svitzer has highlighted the need for the shipping industry to prioritise hull performance and standardisation in its drive to decarbonise, reports the American Journal of Commerce.
Svitzer recently established a new Hull Performance Services business unit, Svitzer HPS, to support its customers to increase operational efficiency and reduce their environmental footprint.
Svitzer declared shipping companies have invested millions of dollars in engine technology and real-time performance monitoring, while a focus on holistic hull performance is being lost.
The company also declared that although the industry is spending a lot of money on hull coatings to drive down its operational expenditure, it might not be tackling the root causes of performance degradation below the waterline.
Recent research from the Green Ship of the Future coalition indicates the average delta in fuel consumption between a well-managed and poorly managed hull is as much as eight per cent.
Fuel is already the single largest operational cost for a vessel owner and operator, but hull performance will take an even more central role after low carbon future fuels become mainstream.
'Current hull inspection and performance operations are fragmented and localised, even for global ship operators. This means applying and translating outcomes and recommendations from hull inspections across a global fleet can be extremely challenging.
'With the availability of many new solutions promising more efficient ship performance, ship owners need to have a global, standardised understanding what is happening under the waterline of their hulls,' said Svitzer CEO Henrik Sanglen.
'Technological advances like using remote operated vehicles (ROV) for inspection offer the opportunity to collect data on hull fouling. They also lower the cost and time required for the activity, allowing for more frequent inspections, and filling in data gaps that can be used to support other digital tools used in performance analysis.' said Mr Sanglen.
Said Svitzer head of decarbonisation Gareth Prowse: 'Good hull performance is a low hanging fruit for an industry desperately in search of solutions to decarbonize whilst also minimizing costs. We are talking about clean technology-equivalent savings at a fraction of the cost; savings that will only become more relevant as fuel bills increase over the coming decade.
'Perhaps more important is what good hull husbandry says about our ambitions as an industry. With consumer and customer pressure increasing, prioritising hull health and minimizing the impacts of biofouling may well become part of our sector's societal 'licence to trade', meaning that there is no better time than today to find out what is happening beneath the waterline of your fleet.' said Mr Prowse.
SeaNews Turkey
Svitzer recently established a new Hull Performance Services business unit, Svitzer HPS, to support its customers to increase operational efficiency and reduce their environmental footprint.
Svitzer declared shipping companies have invested millions of dollars in engine technology and real-time performance monitoring, while a focus on holistic hull performance is being lost.
The company also declared that although the industry is spending a lot of money on hull coatings to drive down its operational expenditure, it might not be tackling the root causes of performance degradation below the waterline.
Recent research from the Green Ship of the Future coalition indicates the average delta in fuel consumption between a well-managed and poorly managed hull is as much as eight per cent.
Fuel is already the single largest operational cost for a vessel owner and operator, but hull performance will take an even more central role after low carbon future fuels become mainstream.
'Current hull inspection and performance operations are fragmented and localised, even for global ship operators. This means applying and translating outcomes and recommendations from hull inspections across a global fleet can be extremely challenging.
'With the availability of many new solutions promising more efficient ship performance, ship owners need to have a global, standardised understanding what is happening under the waterline of their hulls,' said Svitzer CEO Henrik Sanglen.
'Technological advances like using remote operated vehicles (ROV) for inspection offer the opportunity to collect data on hull fouling. They also lower the cost and time required for the activity, allowing for more frequent inspections, and filling in data gaps that can be used to support other digital tools used in performance analysis.' said Mr Sanglen.
Said Svitzer head of decarbonisation Gareth Prowse: 'Good hull performance is a low hanging fruit for an industry desperately in search of solutions to decarbonize whilst also minimizing costs. We are talking about clean technology-equivalent savings at a fraction of the cost; savings that will only become more relevant as fuel bills increase over the coming decade.
'Perhaps more important is what good hull husbandry says about our ambitions as an industry. With consumer and customer pressure increasing, prioritising hull health and minimizing the impacts of biofouling may well become part of our sector's societal 'licence to trade', meaning that there is no better time than today to find out what is happening beneath the waterline of your fleet.' said Mr Prowse.
SeaNews Turkey