Research project
KEY FACTS
Grant Agreement No. ΒΑΡ2-0062023
Project coordinator Diving Status
Start Date 27 May 2021
End Date 15 July 2023
2 years Project
European Union
European Regional Development Fund
Development Program of North Aegean region
Blue Growth
Total Cost 200.000,00 euros
EU Funding 126.248,24 euros
Introduction
Biofouling, Biocoating and environmental impact.
Anti-fouling coatings are protective paints that are applied to the hulls of ships to prevent the development of biofouling, various marine micro-organisms that grow on the hulls of ships, resulting in corrosion of the ship's surface and its hydrodynamic behaviour. This development of biofouling on ships causes unevenness and roughness of the surface of the outer plates, resulting in an increase in the ship's resistance which can reduce the sailing speed by up to 40% in one year, thus increasing not only fuel consumption and maintenance costs but also the emission of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases.
Over time, however, the ship's hull coatings lose their efficiency. The solution to this is the underwater cleaning of ship hull with a rotating brush cleaning system. The ship does not have to lose its charter and visit a shipyard, but can be cleaned underwater in a few hours in the port where it is anchored.
Despite the advantages of underwater cleaning of ship hull, the risk of inherent in this practice is that if the wrong type of brush is used, it causes irreparable damage to the ship's reef coatings, resulting in a much faster development of biofouling.In this case the environmental impact is increased as not only fuel consumption but also the emission of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases increases. At present, there is no certified range of brushes for underwater cleaning of ship hull worldwide.
Project description
Our Mission
Research project goals.
The aim of the project is the research on the categorization and manufacture of ship hull cleaning brushes based on the type of biocoating and the type of hull paint of the ship. The aim is to carry out the most effective underwater cleaning of ship hull with the least impact on the existing hull coating, thus contributing to the protection of the marine ecosystem and improving the environmental footprint of ships.
The project will include the following:
- Study of the benthic organisms adhering to the samples depending on the type of hull coating in different geographical areas.
- Design and manufacture of different test brush types for cleaning ship hull.
- Testing the effectiveness of the brushes depending on the type of biocoating and the type of hull dye. Study on the effects on the hull coating.
- Organisation of production for mass Production of a complete range of standard brushes for cleaning ship hull.
- Dissemination of results
Sample plates
70
Days of testing
600
Research hours of sampling and data collection
160
Eco Brushes
Key project numbers
Project descriptionThe long and short term main benefits
The long and short term main benefits of ECO BRUSHES will be the following:
01.
Improve the overall environmental identity and footprint of ships.
02.
It saves the cost of ship fuel.
03.
It saves the cost of ship fuel.
