Low Friction Recoating Performance Improvements Aboard A Passenger Ferry

Abstract

In recent years, there have been many technological advancements to support greener vessel operations and improved performance. The National Research Council of Canada evaluated the effect of a low friction hull coating from both a fuel consumption and power savings perspective. To quantify the variation in both fuel and power, an analysis methodology was adopted from the ISO 19030 standard for measuring the change in hull and propeller performance. The results of this analysis indicated that between 17.5 and 20.5 knots the power required to achieve cruising speed decreased by an average of 3.56% subsequent to the hull recoat. This translates to a fuel consumption reduction of 3.27% within the same speed range. The improvements in performance were most notable at 20.5 knots.