Painting the way to a more sustainable future

UK scientists are taking a novel approach to increase their understanding of how Royal Navy ships can operate more sustainably and limit their impact on marine biodiversity.

Biofouling – the accumulation of unwanted marine growth on the hulls of ships – is a problem for vessels and the seas they sail in. Heavily fouled hulls spread marine organisms beyond their natural ranges, with the potential for harmful environmental impacts. And biofouling causes increased hull friction, which forces ship engines to work harder, leading to increased fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.

In the past, a set of patch tests were applied to a single ship’s hull. After one or two years at sea, the tests would be inspected and the paint that performed the best would be used across the whole fleet. However, this did not always result in the best protection for every ship.

DE&S has been working with QinetiQ and Plymouth Marine Laboratories (PML) Applications to design and manufacture a specialist raft that can test anti-fouling coatings on five classes of Royal Navy ship at the same time.

DE&S has invested £350,000 in the work, which includes the cost of the raft, equipment and laboratory, and team working on the project. By looking at where the ship is sailing, how fast it will be travelling and how many days it will be docked for, scientists can determine the most efficient anti-fouling paint for that ship to prevent the build-up of biofouling.

Jason Jones, from the DE&S’ Ships Husbandry team, said: “Biofouling Management Regulations around the world require ships to demonstrate effective biofouling management, and this is now an entry requirement for many global ports and harbours. If a ship is unable to do this, it may be prevented from continuing its deployment and this would impact on its operational capability.”

With fuel typically accounting for a significant percentage of marine transport costs, this work, while still in its early stages, has the potential to deliver real efficiencies for the Royal Navy and reduce environmental harm.

Dr Tom Vance, PML Applications Chief

Operating Officer, said: “We’re very proud to be supporting the Navy, through DE&S, by generating independent data to show how different biofouling management technologies, including coatings, actually perform. Our unique field-based testing infrastructure simulates the speed and activity profiles of different classes of ships, allowing us to match the best antifouling coatings and tailored protection measures to individual vessels. This will enable the Navy to select the optimum antifouling coating technology and biofouling management approach for use.”