The new ISO 19030 hull and propeller standard has come into force and looks set to have a huge impact on ship operators’ bottom lines.
The benefits were unveiled at an open forum on the new standard, which was held in London, UK and hosted by paints and coatings supplier Jotun, class society DNV GL and the Baltic and International Maritime Council (BIMCO) – all driving forces behind the launch of the new standard.
Jotun’s global sales director for hull performance solutions Stein Kjølberg said in an interview: “By applying the standard, ship operators have a tremendous opportunity to have access to more data to analyse performance, both historically and in the future. It enables them to make a decision about the right solution to be applied to a vessel. This does not need to be the most expensive or advanced, but suited to the trade of that vessel. There is a lot of money to be saved by applying this standard.”
He explained how one ship operator saved US$1.8 million in between two drydocking periods after applying the standard – but it could have saved even more if it had applied the standard earlier. “Within the first period there was a significant drop in performance. If it had carried out initiatives and inspections more quickly, it probably could have saved US$1 million – just by doing that,” Mr Kjølberg said.
The standard will also bring clarity to the industry. “There have been several cases of owners not understanding that the underwater hull is affected if cleaning is delayed, so a lot of fuel is used before they do something about it. By having this standard, a ship operator can analyse and have a better idea of if, and when, it should carry out cleaning and what effect this will have.”
The standard is just the beginning. “It is a good start. Ideally you should have a set up that can measure every step of the way – not just hull and propeller monitoring, but also engine management, crew management… There should be chain of different initiatives that identify ship efficiency,” Mr Kjølberg said.
The standard will be revised and – based on what has been learned – updated every three years. Mr Kjølberg said: “We expect the standard to be refined and revised and made simpler to use and more accurate. More default methods will be put in so there is more variety. But there will be the same KPIs [key performance indicators], so it will be open, transparent and equal.”
AkzoNobel was involved in developing the standard, too. Michael Hindmarsh, business development manager at AkzoNobel’s marine coatings business, said: “We believe ISO 19030 represents a solid, initial ‘line in the sand’ in relation to monitoring hull and propeller performance, but there is still further progress that needs to be made.”
He added: “To ensure the continued relevance of the standard, it is essential that ISO 19030 keeps pace with the ongoing development of technology and analysis capabilities that ship performance monitoring specialists are currently developing.”
The main challenge of applying the standard is the handling of the sensors to collect the data needed. Tobias Gröger, DNV GL senior consultant for maritime performance solutions, Western Europe, added: “The challenge is to ensure that they are well calibrated and well maintained and that people know how to read data.”
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