The power of 3

Authored by HullWiper.

Geoff Hurst’s perfect hat-trick (header, right foot, left foot) in the 1966 showpiece at Wembley was undoubtedly a stunning achievement – nobody else has scored three in a World Cup final. Or how about Wasim Akram, who bagged not one but two Test hat-tricks in 1999, both in the month of March and both against Sri Lanka. Or an old favourite, “3 in a Bed", throwing 3 darts at the same number, in the same segmented area (such as 3 fat singles, or 3 triples, or 3 doubles of the same number).

So how can the "power of 3" work for ship owners and operators in the race toward sustainable maritime operations? They need access to an environmentally sustainable hull management package that saves on fuel consumption and reduces harmful CO2 emissions, while increasing vessel speed and operational efficiency.

Is there a magic formula for this? Yes! With the hat trick approach from Intertrac® HullCare: regular hull cleaning, underwater inspections, and high-performance antifouling coatings.

Who, what, why

HullWiper launched Intertrac® HullCare, a comprehensive and eco-friendly hull care support system, in partnership with AkzoNobel and its International® brand of marine coatings and Orobotix, a specialist in underwater drone Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV).

The marine industry’s carbon neutral hull management package provides high-performance coating schemes from International® tailored for different ship types and ship operating profiles, which are maintained using sustainable hull cleaning solutions provided by HullWiper's global network of partners, as well as regular underwater inspections using Orobotix drones.

Ship owners and operators now have greater control over the hull and environmental performance of their vessels. Intertrac® HullCare is a long-term guarantee to meet the growing global maritime anti-biofouling regulations through regular inspections, analysis, and reporting to track hull conditions, as well as providing ROV inspection information in quarterly reports and annual condition reports that include biofouling development assessments.

Tough on dirt, gentle on your bottom-line (and the environment)

Combating one of the largest risks to the industry, biofouling, is the best approach to achieve immediate results in efficiencies and environmental protection. Marine fouling reduces the profits of ship owners and operators, damages expensive anti-fouling coatings and contributes to the release of greenhouse gas emission (GHG).

The hull cleaning technology and methods used by Intertrac® HullCare reduce operational uncertainty, enhance operational performance metrics, and prolong the interval between (expensive and time-consuming) dry docking cycles. A clean hull improves vessel speed and supports significant savings on fuel consumption (up to 40%) per voyage.

Customers can choose between a 5-year, 7.5-year or 10-year scheme to help operators maximise fleet efficiency. By ensuring smooth, clean hulls over a 10-year period, our package helps operators achieve significant reductions in CO2 emissions of up to 34,000 tonnes and fuel savings of €4.6 million (approx. US$4.5 million) in comparison to a typical five-year fouling control system.

Underwater hull cleaning generates a lot of waste. This is why recovering all removed fouling, or reclamation, is vital for the sustainable future of our industry. HullWiper is the only operational ROV that offers a unique onboard filtration system to safely capture all removed biofouling from vessel hulls. Our innovative, environmentally friendly underwater hull cleaning technology employs adjustable high-pressure seawater instead of scrubbing, harsh chemicals, or abrasives to loosen waste materials, remove fouling and eliminate invasive aquatic species (IAS). HullWiper, as opposed to traditional brush and diver methods, leaves expensive anti-fouling surfaces intact and does not harm the fragile marine environment. All removed fouling is deposited into dedicated drum onshore which is collected by a locally approved environmental waste disposal company.

All for one and one for all

Three is not a crowd. It is a squad, a team or, in sport, a magic number. Intertrac® HullCare is built on sustainability and reflects our commitment to improving the overall performance of the shipping community, saving on costs, and protecting the environment.

Our industry needs to be good and do good, because it is just not cricket to think otherwise!