As soon as a hull comes into contact with seawater, bacteria attaches itself to the hull. Within a few minutes this process is irreversible so the attached bacteria are not going to get washed off by sea currents. Over the next few hours the bacteria start to multiply and grow significantly in numbers.
Over the next few days a ‘biofilm’ is produced which is like a green slime on your hull. At this point the fouling really starts to kick in as the biofilm acts as a key for other marine organisms to attach to, such as barnacles. Once the hull is fouled, the boat’s performance is reduced and fuel consumption rises significantly due to increased hydrodynamic drag.
The US Navy conducted some experiments using their USS Whippleshaft, and found that to propel the vessel at the same speed with a dirty hull used twice as much shaft horsepower. As a rule of thumb, biofilms increase fuel consumption by 8-12 per cent; Calcareous marine growth, barnacles or anything leaving a calcium carbonate based skeleton, increases fuel consumption by 24 per cent or more; and fouled propulsion gear increases fuel consumption by 6-14 per cent.
So if you’ve got a fouled hull and fouled prop gear, your boat is probably close to 40 per cent less fuel-efficient. Ensuring your hull and propulsion gear are kept in optimum condition will save a significant amount of fuel, increase your range, lower engine wear, increase the life of thrusters, prolong propeller life, protect your paintwork and will reduce your carbon footprint.
CTS Marine provides a range of marine solutions including professional hull cleaning and maintenance, preventative maintenance programs for fuel, engine lubricants and coolants.
Tel:+971 50 650 2621
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