Biofouling Characterization and its Effect on Resistance of Surface Ship

Abstract

Manufacture of coatings to tackle the biofouling menace has been of prime concern for the shipping industry since industrial revolution. Even though many types of coatings exist in the market, they have not been able to wipe out the problem of biofouling completely. The proposed approach which combines both the resistance due to biofouling on ships, as well as biofouling characterization, will surely serve as a critical input for the manufacture of efficient anti-fouling coatings. Resistance simulations have been carried out for a tanker ship by Maxsurf® wherein the hull fouling effect has been accounted for by modified ITTC 1978 empirical formula considering roughness. Different draft conditions were relied upon to find out the resistance at various Froude numbers. The fouling growth conditions considered are small and medium calcareous fouling. The simulated results also have been validated by towing tank experiments, for no-foul condition, for speeds varying from 0.3 to 1.1 m/s and different drafts. The additional power requirement was determined for various loading conditions and speed ranges.