Features: - Tanker Operator

TECHNOLOGY – SHIPREPAIR & MAINTENANCE
Ecospeed gains
major approval
Throughout history, the etherlands has always played an important role
in the development of nautical technology. And at the beginning of 2010,
the country is continuing to look for ways to refine its maritime expertise.
One of the latest initiatives is to
allow underwater cleaning in
Dutch ports on vessels coated
with Ecospeed The company’s
co-operation with the Dutch authorities been
ongoing for some time now, but has really
come to the fore over the last couple of years.
The Netherlands was one of the first
countries worldwide to ban the in-water
cleaning of vessel hulls in order to avoid the
pulse release of TBT associated with it.
Vessels berthed in ports continue to leach
biocides, which leads to accumulation in
sediments.
The Dutch Ministry of Transport, Public
Works and Water Management has pro-actively
sought a solution to this environmental
problem. It has come to the conclusion that a
good non-toxic system includes regular and
controlled removal of fouling and that the
underwater cleaning and conditioning of
vessels coated with Ecospeed is at present a -
best available technology (BAT).
Very strict criteria for environmentally safe
in-water cleaning practices have been
developed - criteria that only Ecospeed has
been able to meet thus far.
The EC funded a project called ECOTEC-
STC, which came within its LIFE
demonstration initiatives. This was able to
confirm the ecological and economical
advantages of the Ecospeed coating.
Biocide free
One of the first tasks within this LIFE
research project has been to validate that
Ecospeed is completely free of biocides
throughout its lifecycle. The confirm this, the
Dutch Ministry of Transport carried out an
elaborate study of effluent samples, which
conclusively showed that no toxins were
released at any stage, either at application,
during curing or during in-water treatment.
The measurements further showed that during
conditioning only non-toxic fine particulate
matter was released.
For several years, there have also been
concerns that non-indigenous species (NIS) are
increasingly transported by fouled hulls. Once a
hull becomes heavily fouled, a situation occurs
where there is an increased risk of transporting
NIS that should be remedied by de-fouling
activities, either by out-of-water removal, or by
underwater cleaning.
As a result, underwater cleaning has come
under scrutiny out of fear that viable NIS are
released and spread, rather than contained and
disposed of by the operation.
The underwater cleaning of vessels coated
with Ecospeed, however, can be regarded as a
safety measure that prevents, rather than
remedies, the spread of NIS, the manufacturer
claimed. The company said; -
First - Ecospeed can be cleaned on a regular
basis without damaging the coating’s surface.
The cleaning interval is optimised to minimise
Underwater cleaning
of Ecospeed coated
hulls is now allowed
in the Netherlands.
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TANKEROperator June 2010