A new white paper released by I-Tech, highlights the increasing problems for ship operators caused by biofouling occurring during growing idling periods, showing how ship idling has increased over the last 12 years.
Biofouling has been a perennial headache for the shipping industry for centuries. However, it now looks like it’s going to get far worse, particularly for those vessels idling in warmer waters.
Based on in-depth analysis of the global fleet patterns, the paper reveals the substantial increase in the numbers of idling vessels over the past decade. I-Tech found that ‘Fouling Idling’, as defined in the study, has increased constantly since 2009, with a starting point of 25.4% to a peak of 35.0% in May 2020.
Given the growth of the fleet, this means that the absolute number of vessels idling in the global fleet has doubled between 2009-2020.
Significantly, it also finds that vessels are increasingly idling in so-called biofouling ´hotspots´, with water temperatures above 25°C. Vessels spending the majority of their time sailing in these regions are at acute risk of excessive hard fouling accumulation.
This level of fouling was exacerbated by idling patterns seen in 2020, which provided ideal conditions for fouling to grow. For instance, at the peak of idling last year, almost half of all container vessels at fouling idling had long idling periods of more than 30 days, exposing the vessels´ hulls to an extreme risk of hard fouling.
Commenting on the outcome of their findings, Philip Chaabane CEO I-Tech, said:
“External factors such as the economic collapse of 2008, the offshore crisis in 2015 and most recently the COVID pandemic and consequent port congestion will always have some disruptive effect on operations and make predictions difficult.
“Ship operators must, however, take action to minimise their impact. Most importantly, they must ensure that, after any idling, the vessel is in good condition to perform optimally. Familiarisation with the individual vessel’s risks of biofouling based on its operating footprint is a good starting point.”
Chaabane pointed out that when looking at the future trading potential, ship operators need to ensure that their ship is protected, whether it is in constant active service, idle for long periods of time, or at risk of fluctuating between the two.
He continued: “This future-proofing approach to antifouling coating selection, without any certainty of future trade, is exerting great pressure on the coating suppliers, fostering innovation and new approaches towards fouling prevention technology using the active substance Selektope. This is supported by increasing demand from ship owners and operators for antifouling coatings that contain the anti-barnacle active agent.”
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