International Marine Coatings has published a white paper which reveals the high degree of accuracy of its predictive Intertrac Vision tool to real life vessel operations by correlating to the speed loss of a globally trading VLCC over a five-year docking period, in line with the principles of the ISO 19030 standard.
International used the forecasting tool to project a 1.4% speed loss over a 60-month in-service period which proved to be in line with actual vessel performance, in effect demonstrating that use of the tool through close partnership with International can raise the certainty on vessel performance. This can provide greater confidence on economic and sustainable value achieved through the operational cycle – which is a key challenge for the industry whilst regulations are driving higher efficiency.
The vessel in the example case maintained a CII ‘A’ rating throughout the study which resulted in the customer achieving both performance and decarbonisation objectives.
In the real life validation exercise, the hull performance team at International collaborated with the vessel operator to monitor and report any significant performance deviations, ensuring optimal vessel performance was maintained. The application of Intercept 8500 LPP also resulted in a reduction of vessel carbon emissions of roughly 8,500t over the five years.
International states that the findings in its whitepaper reinforce the pivotal role tailored fouling control coating recommendations and real-time monitoring have in optimising vessel performance and advancing decarbonisation efforts within the maritime industry.
Fouling control coatings are widely considered by shipowners to be an effective strategy for decarbonising their fleets in line with regulatory requirements such as the EEXI and EU ETS.
The Intertrac Vision tool was used in the study to recommend the ideal coatings selection for the vessel. This was done by providing predicted benefits on the operational profile of the vessel from its database that includes insights from more than 200,000 drydock events.
Dr Barry Kidd, Vessel Performance Manager, AkzoNobel, said: “Through our International coatings brand, we are committed to supporting our customers to meet their decarbonisation goals and complying with changing regulatory requirements, while also reducing the environmental impact across the maritime industry. The research published today demonstrated that our industry-first Intertrac Vision tool can provide a clear picture of vessel performance and the contribution of the Intercept 8500 LPP coating, all while being in line with the ISO 19030 standard. It proves that data-driven decision making, focused on performance and combined with the knowledge of International paints experts is more important than ever when it comes to anti-fouling coating selection and to ensure compatibility with operational profiles and performance expectations. Accurate and reliable forecasting will increasingly play a pivotal role for our customers who now place more trust on their investment decisions.”
The white paper can be downloaded here.
Image: Application of International coating (source: Akzo Nobel press release)
