The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) has published the long-awaited ISO 19030, a new standard conceived to measure changes in ship-specific hull and propeller performance.
According to Jotun, which has led the industry in the standard’s development, the move has the potential to reduce the industry’s green house gas emissions by 10 %, while saving operators up to USD 30 billion in annual energy costs.
ISO 19030 has been more than three years in the making. It’s seen a collaboration of 53 expert stakeholders from throughout the industry working together to develop a uniform framework for measuring the efficacy of solutions improving hull and propeller performance. Jotun, a global leader in marine antifouling coatings, has been central to the process, with Geir Axel Oftedahl, Jotun Business Development Director, Hull Performance Solutions, managing the project for its entire duration on behalf of ISO.
The standard provides a transparency that has been lacking in the industry and will be a central driver for enhancing environmental performance and vessel efficiency. I’d like to congratulate all the key players involved in this process, especially Svend Søyland, formerly of Bellona and now with Nordic Energy Research, who has convened the ISO working group, Standards Norway, including Knut Aune, who has served as the secretariat for ISO 19030, and, of course, ISO itself.
The standard offers a two-tier methodological approach: ISO 19030-2, the default measurement method, with the most exacting requirements and greatest measurement accuracy; and ISO 19030-3, allowing for ‘alternative methods’ and included in order to increase the applicability of the standard.
In developing the standard, the ISO working group met across more than three years and spent over 12,000 hours refining the methodology for publication.
Jotun’s HPS, combining advanced SeaQuantum X200 silyl methacrylate antifouling and a full suite of sensors attached to vessel hulls, was launched to the market in 2011. It has since proved its ability to deliver long-term efficiency and performance gains. In March the firm released data for the first ever five-year dry-docking of a vessel treated with the solution - Gearbulk’s Penguin Arrow. This documented that HPS, by successfully limiting the growth of organisms on the hull, enabled a fuel saving of USD 1.5 million, cutting CO₂ emissions by some 12,055 tonnes, across the 60-month period.