Vessels Using Hull Performance Solutions See 20% Lower Carbon Intensity: Report

Ships increasing focused on environmental impact. Image Credit: ©2021 Ship & Bunker

A new report from hull coatings player Jotun has found in 2019 and 2020 cargo vessels using its Hull Performance Solutions (HPS) reported a 20% lower carbon intensity on average in operations compared to their non-HPS peers.

The findings used carbon emissions MRV data published by the EU.

Vessels using HPS also had lower carbon emissions than vessels known to be sailing with some low-friction, foul-release silicone coatings that had been applied to the hull within the last three years.

Providers of hull performance and anti-fouling solutions have long stressed the impact of their products and services in dollar terms, with a cleaner hull producing less resistance when sailing through water, which translates directly into less bunkers being burned.

With the industry increasingly focused on efforts to reduce CO2 emissions, Jotun joins the many firms providing bunker saving technologies who are reframing their offering in terms of GHG reduction and the industry's IMO 2030 and IMO 2050 environmental goals.

"Vessels using Jotun's HPS ... are not too focused on the immediate cost of dry docking or short-term returns. They know the resulting fuel savings will eventually outweigh the upgrade cost of antifouling and other similar investments many times over," Stein Kjolberg, Global Category Director for Hull Performance at Jotun, said in a press release alongside the report's release.

"The fact that fuel savings translate directly into lower carbon emissions will further add to the return on investment in that stakeholders in the shipping industry will more strongly prefer and reward vessels with lower carbon emissions moving forward."