3.5 MARINE FOULING AND THE SHIPPING INDUSTRY

The issue of hull fouling is crucial to shipowners. Fouling causes an increase in surface roughness and greater frictional resistance. A slime layer of only 1 mm thickness can cause a 15% loss in ship speed³² The loss of vessel speed caused by fouling results in increased operating costs through higher fuel costs and the inability of vessels to meet schedules. It has been estimated that for a fouled 50,000 DWT tanker, the average speed loss at full power would be 2 knots, which if the ship was sailing at 13 knots would result in a 39% increase in fuel consumption³³ This would, in 1995, amount to an extra cost to that ship in the order of $340,000 in fuel alone³⁴ The extra fuel consumed because of hull fouling is a function of speed.

This concludes the material reproduced from the 1996 study. Refer to Plates 1 and 2 for examples of marine fouling.