Hull Performance Standard Inches Closer
Coating companies are moving forward with their support of ISO 19030, the new standard for measuring hull and propeller performance expected to be finalized this year.
This week AkzoNobel’s Marine Coatings business outlined for the first time its full compliance with ISO 19030 which sets standards and methods for measuring hull and propeller performance, and defines performance indicators for hull and propeller maintenance, repair and retrofit activities.
The requirements for ISO 19030 have been incorporated into AkzoNobel’s recommendations for hull performance monitoring, which means hull coating performance predictions from AkzoNobel’s big data consultancy tool, Intertrac Vision, can be verified and validated against actual performance using a monitoring process that is ISO 19030 compliant.
The ISO 19030 standard consolidates the latest academic and industry knowledge and understanding into an agreed and standardized method to measure the performance of a vessel through the water. This enables the transparent comparison of datasets and will work towards the elimination of disputes in relation to vessel performance.
Measuring hull efficiency is difficult due to the number of variables that affect fuel consumption including ship design, engine efficiency, fuel quality, speed, draft, propeller design and condition, as well as ambient factors such as wind, waves and water depth. Additionally, over time, coatings of all types generally accumulate some degree of fouling. Mechanical damage and repairs can also result in increased surface roughness.
Frictional resistance of the hull against the water has to be isolated from these variables before accurate measurement and comparison of coating efficiency can even be attempted.
ISO 19030 will mark a solid, initial “line in the sand” for effectively monitoring hull and propeller performance, says AkzoNobel.
The standard has the potential to save the shipping industry as much as $30 billion in annual fuel costs, says coatings manufacturer Jotun. In response, Jotun has adapted its Hull Performance Solutions (HPS) guarantee to ensure it is fully ISO 19030-2 compliant.
“Poor hull and propeller performance is estimated to account for around 10 percent of the world fleet’s energy costs ($30 billion),” says Geir Axel Oftedahl, Jotun’s Business Development Director - Hull Performance Solutions. “There are very effective solutions for improving performance but, until now, no globally recognized and standardized way for measuring this and providing return on investment for shipowners. ISO 19030 satisfies that demand, prescribing measurement methodology and defining performance indicators for hull and propeller maintenance, repair and retrofit activities.
“We believe this will provide much needed transparency for both buyers and sellers of fuel saving technologies and solutions, and, in doing so, enable the industry to operate with genuinely enhanced efficiency and environmental performance.”
Oftedahl has, since 2013, managed a project involving 53 experts in an ISO working group convened by Svend Søyland of Nordic Energy Research in a bid to develop a standard that is comprehensive, accurate and workable worldwide. The group encompasses shipowners, ship builders, class societies, paint manufacturers, performance monitoring companies and research institutions.