Reducing Operating Costs

“We could waste our own energy in an attempt to control the world’s energy, or we could use it constructively to protect ourselves against those forces which do control it, and the influence it has on ourselves.”

Fuel, power, speed and hydrodynamics:

Integrity

Fuel costs represent a huge variable in a shipowner’s overheads. Recent fluctuations have been a key example. To base a business plan on periodical peak prices would strangle progress. But to base a business plan on today’s lower prices is to invite disaster. The other side of the calculation is the freight market.

Whether time charter, voyage charter, bulk, project, break-bulk, passenger… the rates cannot be dictated by the shipowner, but depend on market.

The importance to hydrodynamics of a hull’s surface resistance is universally acknowledged and extensively reported. Hull smoothness is integral to the Brunel philosophy. Brunel Enviromarine cures exothermically to what is actually a nano-texture. Microns are a thing of the past.

The new formulation is even smoother than the former. As seen in this typical, on site reading, the former generation Enviromarine has a ‘roughness’ of just a tiny fraction of one micron, or a nanotexture of less than 200 nano-meters. This led to the shipowner’s comment; “How can you talk of ‘hull-roughness figures’? There is no roughness. This is ‘hull-smoothness!'”. We are constantly striving to reduce operating costs.

Estimated increase in power needed/fuel used for a typical fast fine ship (eg. container liner) due to increasing physical hull roughness of different anti fouling types over time.

Estimated increase in power needed/fuel used for a typical fast fine ship (eg. container liner) due to increasing physical hull roughness of different anti fouling types over time.

Chemically inert homogeny

Integrity

The second coat melds chemically with the first, creating one impervious, homogenous shell. This texture is maintained throughout the life of the vessel as it is not designed to shed, polish or deplete in any way; it is inert and non-reactive with the marine environment and does not rely on the release of toxins and biocides, all of which can, typically, lead to a roughness of 600 microns (600,000 nano-meters), or more than 3,000 times that of Enviromarine.

“After over five years, the Brunel coating was perfect. The surface was exactly the same as when applied and needed absolutely nothing.” SK Mohanty. Sen. Supt. AESM.

“No wastage of film thickness. The film thickness is exactly the same.” Vessel’s master.

“The top coat was still completely intact and smooth” P. Siddons. Chief Tech. Dir. Canadian Pacific.

valenciaOf the same vessel, dry-docking after another five years trading (pictured here before washing down), Anglo Eastern’s prophetic words were bourn out:
“Extremely surprised to see the coating is still perfect. We need to do nothing.”

And class reported it to be “Fully intact.”

Italmar: “Needs no attention. Complete, hard and smooth.”

SRO Marine could “see no wastage or deterioration.”

Promises?

Even when new, the “best-of-the-rest” strive to achieve roughness figures of 150microns (750 x Enviromarine).

In an attempt to avoid provoking the response

“Well, he would say that, wouldn’t he?”

(Mandy Rice-Davies 1963, Profumo), Brunel will allow the others to do the talking.

25bAt a recent presentation in Athens, Sigma asserted that the reduction of roughness to 100 microns (lab reading) would reduce consumption by 7-8%, depending on the trade of the vessel.

University of Newcastle’s research is quoted in Tanker Shipping and Trade, and endorsed by IP: “If roughness is reduced by 25microns, power output can be reduced by 1 per cent, power and fuel being roughly proportional.”

They also site independent tests showing newbuilds achieving … “2 knots or more than the design speed of the ship”.

E.R.A., who conduct work for the IMO, concluded: “these coatings can save an average of 10 per cent of fuel.”

…And so it goes on.

In fact, the significance of roughness on the performance of a hull is well documented (as well as being common sense). For its part, Brunel merely points out that no other coating, including the coatings which drew these claims and results, manages anything anywhere close to the smoothness of Enviromarine, even when new. And none is as resilient or retains its smoothness over time as Brunel Enviromarine does.

Brunel provides a 10 year guarantee that, correctly applied, Brunel Enviromarine:

• Will reduce operating costs

• Will not delaminate

• Will remain intrinsically hard and smooth

• Will continue to protect the hull

• For a period of ten years

Marine growth, its ability to attach, and facility of removal, are other factors in assessing improvements in operational efficiency.

Prevention, of course, is better than cure

Since the beginning, Brunel has started by tackling this issue literally at its root. From the beginning, it was recognized as essential that the perfect coating should be free from the pores which are unavoidable in coatings containing solvents.

It is the evaporation of solvents and ambient diluents that provide the habitat for micro-organisms which in turn nourish marine growth and provide footholds for attachment, making removal impossible without severely compromising the lifetime of the coating system.

The inclusion of toxins and biocides in an attempt to kill the growth (leaving aside the environmental issues, which has the result of accelerating the increase in roughness and depletion of the coating still further as the biocides are leached in order to do their work.

Thus undermined and weakened, and with the increased resistance of roughness, the coating is even more susceptible to growth and sheds. By this stage, any attempt at cleaning will make removal of the coating unavoidable.

Brunel’s Enviromarine is free from solvents and biocides. It is non-porous and extremely smooth. In addition to this, and to other technical characteristics, it is exceptionally hard and resistant to mechanical damage, whilst remaining more flexible than the underlying steel, to which it is bonded with an adhesion of a strength only possible with a 100% solids system which cures without the shrinkage that stresses the interface. Its chemical interaction with the second coat, which is chemically identical to the first results in one, homogenous shell. This integrity, again, can only be achieved in this way and is viewed as essential to avoid issues of intercoat adhesion inherent in systems where various layers are designed to serve different purposes and so are, by definition, not fully compatible.

Shorter dockings

You may be surprised if you are able to calculate how many days you have lost in dry-dock due to high humidity preventing painting. With a conventional coating, and most others, many coats need to be applied, and each is dependent on ambient conditions for its application, drying time, and overcoating period.

23bBrunel Enviromarine is applied in just two coats, and, because there is no evaporation in the curing process, it will cure regardless of humidity.

The full Brunel coating process of the pictured vessel was completed in 17 hours for 8,000 m2, from completion of preparation to ready to sail.

“You can apply this Brunel coating even in high humidity. The other coatings cannot. So, although you cannot control the environment, you can control, plan, and leave on time. This avoids the cost and embarrassment of delaying the vessel. This is another very good thing about Brunel as the ship will leave on time.” Anglo Eastern Ship Management

Shipping is a practical, tough, realistic, often brutal business. Laboratory tests alone will not satisfy anyone who has experience in the industry.

To pretend that growth on a hull, with whatever it is coated, will never occur is, at best, foolish. Market, trade, economy and many other factors can lead to a vessel changing her pattern, being idle (planned or unplanned), even laying up.

NS Concept - Last dry docked Tuzla June 2010. Photo taken September 2012 - Traditonal coating.

NS Concept – Last dry docked Tuzla June 2010. Photo taken September 2012 – Traditonal coating.

These circumstances can leave the vessel’s hull more prone to fouling. There is evidence of vessels coated with antifouling, but remaining idle, needing to steam regularly to coax the chemicals out of their blocked pores. This, of course, is not always possible, and is always costly. But with such coatings, the effect of cleaning is to remove coating and shorten or eliminate the lifespan of the coating system, resulting in the need to divert to dry-dock and recoat, which is not an appetising prospect.

Pictured, you will see three sister vessels. After a period of sailing, they had all served as storage facilities, or motherships, in the Black Sea for around 17 months. A trade most prone to mechanical wear, damage and marine growth.

One was coated with Enviromarine, and the two others with a top-brand antifouling system. As well as the

NS Concord - Last dry docked Tuzla April 2010. Photo taken September 2012 - Traditonal coating.

NS Concord – Last dry docked Tuzla April 2010. Photo taken September 2012 – Traditonal coating.

increased threat of mechanical damage in this situation, fouling was observed on all three. The two vessels coated with antifouling paint were observed to have acquired significantly heavier fouling, despite the periodic steaming decided on by the owner to assist with this. The vessel with Brunel coating did not steam at all for the period.

 

On sailing, all vessels were cleaned and assessed. The two vessels with antifouling were found heavily fouled and to have sustained very significant mechanical damage to the coating. The cleaning was a lengthy process and resulted in further depletion of the coating, as can be observed form the pictures.

Last dry docked Remontowa August 2010. Photo taken June 2012 - Coated with Brunel Enviromarine.

Last dry docked Remontowa August 2010. Photo taken June 2012 – Coated with Brunel Enviromarine.

Last dry docked Remontowa August 2010. Photo taken June 2012 - Coated with Brunel Enviromarine.

Last dry docked Remontowa August 2010. Photo taken June 2012 – Coated with Brunel Enviromarine.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The vessel coated with Enviromarine, was cleaned rapidly in Piraeus. She was found to be surprisingly free of fouling, any present was observed to be ‘easily removed’ (UMC).

(In fact the cleaning company attested to all this and has offered a discount to any Brunel-coated vessel they are asked to clean). Furthermore, the coating was undamaged and the vessel remains on her 10 year docking interval programme.

It is observation of the behavior of Brunel Enviromarine, and of the hulls coated with it, over many years that have made it the only coating to have been approved by both class and flag as a pre-condition for the only tonnage on a 10 year dry-docking interval programme.
10 Year Docking Interval

This is, of course, a huge accolade for Brunel, and one of which they are extremely proud. But for the shipowner, the implications are a further huge saving. For the environment, too (see section), it represents a another great advantage.