To combat biofouling, technologies such as special coatings on ships and cleaning led by teams of divers are commonplace. But Norwegian company Jotun has a different approach.Jotun has developed the HullSkater, a 200-kilogram magnetic crawling robot that removes the early stages of fouling.
Biofouling is the buildup of marine life, such as barnacles, mussels, algae, and other organisms. Here a "slime" is shown on the hull of this ship.Jotun has also developed a special coating that is painted onto the ship to work with the HullSkater's brush, says Oftedahl. This increases the effectiveness of the technology and reduces the risk of eroding too much of the ship's surface during cleaning, which could leak chemicals into the sea, he says.
According to the IMO, around 9% of the fuel consumed by a ship is due to biofouling. In 2018, it laid out ato reduce the carbon intensity of international shipping, aiming to cut the industry's carbon emissions by at least 40% by 2030, compared to 2008. The HullSkater, which took over four years to develop, was designed to help decarbonize the shipping industry. Jotun claims that every $1 invested in its technology -- including the coating, robot and offshore monitoring -- will save more than $3 in fuel costs.