I-Tech Says More Attention Is Needed to Prevent Barnacle Fouling in Ship Niche Areas
GOTHENBURG, Sweden — Research commissioned by Swedish biotechnology company I-Tech AB has confirmed that barnacle fouling is very prevalent in ship niche areas and that the industry needs to take steps to mitigate the impact of hard fouling in these areas.
In 2020, I-Tech AB commissioned UK-based marine coatings consultants to analyze the hull condition of a 249-ship sample in dry dock spanning four years from 2015 to 2019. As well as finding unacceptable levels of hard fouling coverage (>10%) on the hulls of more than 44% of the vessels inspected, the inspections data also revealed animal fouling in 95% of niche area observations.