Tag Archives: anti-fouling

Your Ship’s Not Clean Unless It Is EverClean

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Managing biofouling on ship hulls has been a topic of interest for thousands of years. Like many things in the marine industry, progress in this field has been the result of a slow, steady churn of technological improvements, punctuated by periodic significant advancements (e.g. copper sheathing, anti-fouling & fouling release paints). We are now in the midst of another advancement: hull cleaning. Hull cleaning refers to the gentle, habitual and frequent mechanical maintenance of submerged ships’ hulls in order that they remain free from extraneous matter such as fouling organisms and particulate debris, with minimal impact on the coating. In hindsight, it seems remarkably simple – clean it regularly in a way that doesn’t damage the paint. As it turns out, some of those adjectives (gentle, frequent, habitual) are not easy to achieve.

EverClean™ is an autonomous robotic hull cleaning service that delivers always clean hulls made possible by combining a Robot-as-a-Service (RaaS) business model with the next generation of hull cleaning robotics. The Armach vehicle has some distinct advantages – a small platform to get into tighter spaces on the hull, and caterpillar tracks which are kinder to hull coatings.

Because the Armach vehicle is scalable and efficient, cleanings can be performed more regularly using a thoroughly tested brush system that is non-destructive to the hull coating with built-in system intelligence which means it won’t overwork the coatings – adding yet another cost benefit. The system also saves costs by reporting valuable information back to the shipowner, effectively creating a hull condition survey every time it cleans a hull. If any damage or corrosion is picked up early by the robot’s cameras and sensors, decisions can be made on whether rectification is necessary or whether ongoing monitoring will suffice.

EverClean, makes operating with always clean hulls finally possible in an industry that has been doing things the same way for centuries and stands ready to provide a service solution to always clean hulls and hull intelligence for the marine industry today.

Don’t let biofouling drag you down. Schedule an EverClean consultation today and see how to save fuel, reduce carbon emissions, and mitigate invasive species transfer.

MSC Cruises Hosts Global Environmental Officers Conference in London

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MSC Magnifica

MSC Cruises yesterday kicked off its Global Environmental Officers Conference held at its Technical Maritime Centre in London.

This four-day recurring appointment brings together the company’s talent in the environmental space and aims at fostering even stronger environmental practices, MSC said.

Hosted in the offices of MSC Cruise Management UK, Environmental Officers from 15 MSC Cruises ships will share best practices, receive the latest updates on international and local regulations, and get fully familiarized with the latest environmental company policies and vision.

Pierfrancesco Vago, MSC Cruises’ Executive Chairman, who kicked off the Conference said: “Environmental stewardship has been a key focus for us since day one and we feel a great responsibility to conserve and protect the seas and the oceans. They are our most precious resource and together with other industry players, we are committed to protecting them. While our environmental policies are clear and precise, it is also important we have an empowered team of dedicated professionals who make sure our policies are effectively implemented and help us meet our environmental objectives.”

Emilio La Scala, President and Managing Director MSC Cruise Management UK added: “In light of the ever-evolving environmental framework, we want to make sure our officers are always abreast of our company practices and environmental policies. However, compliance is only a starting point for us and we are committed to always raise the bar along this journey, meeting or exceeding regulations. Our Company’s success is dependent on the success of our officers and as our Company is expanding so rapidly, we also focus on attracting more top-notch talent in this space.”

During the Conference, the officers focused on subjects including MARPOL environmental requirements, and national and local requirements in specific geographic areas. In addition, the team further deepens their knowledge of wastewater treatment, emissions reduction, ballast water management, anti-fouling, and solid waste management.

The Global Environmental Officers Conference is part of a greater program to continuously elevate the importance of environmental matters across all company practices, MSC said.

In addition to this conference, the company hosts a series of environmental management training sessions for Deck and Engine Officers in its state-of-the-art training centre in Sorrento, Italy.