Eco hull cleaning arrives in Panama

The Panama Canal is HullWiper’s first operational location in the Americas and this agreement will see the lease of its Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) system, which uses adjustable seawater jets under variable pressure to remove fouling. Removed residues are collected by an onboard filter and deposited into dedicated drums onshore for locally-approved environmental disposal. The filter also reduces the risk of cross-pollination of waters with alien species.

Managing director Simon Doran said: “With our ROV now available in the Panama Canal, owners and operators of commercial vessels in the transit queue can use their waiting time to remove marine fouling and enjoy the benefits of improved vessel performance, fuel savings and lower GHG emissions, without any extra downtime or harming the marine ecosystem.”

Flexible operation

The ROV system is considered a more sophisticated method of cleaning than using brushes or abrasives, minimising the risk of damage to expensive anti-fouling coatings.

No divers are used, so there is no risk to human life and cleaning can be conducted day or night, in most weather conditions, and whilst cargo operations are underway.

More than 1,200 vessels Talleres Industriales attends to every year will have the opportunity to use this new service.

Launched in Dubai in December 2013, HullWiper operates in ports around the world including Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Singapore, Spain, Netherlands, Egypt, Australia, UK, United Arab Emirates and at key locations across the Middle East.