With dirty vessel DL Marigold in limbo having also been refused entry into Fjii where it planned to conduct hull cleaning Seatrade Maritime News asked GAC if its remote hull cleaning operation could be as solution.
The only place GAC operates in Asia is Singapore and cleaning would require permission from the authorities.
David Jones, ROV superintendent at GAC said the firm has the existing technology to make the vessel safe again.
“It is believed the machine [a remote controlled underwater hull cleaning unit] captures 99% of marine fouling and debris cleaned off the ship,” he commented.
“This is supported by each location having to pass its own water samples and analysis in each location in order to obtain permission to conduct hull cleaning operations for that location.”
The system has been used to conduct in the region of 500 hull cleaning operations around GAC’s current locations in Dubai, Fujairah, Valencia, Singapore, Rotterdam, Gothenburg and Norway, while permission is being obtained to use the technology in its new location of Southampton.
Asked whether the hull cleaning solution could be utilised on the vessel in Singapore, Jones said: “We currently clean vessels that are conducting cargo operations inside the Singapore ports. Wealso conduct cleaning at some of the inner anchorages that vessels are at; I believe some anchorages are restricted due to STS operations.”
He added: “As there are no divers involved we are allowed to clean 24 hours a day, so this enables us to conduct fast turnaround of vessels that are on a tight schedule.”
It marks the first time an international vessel has been expelled from New Zealand waters for biofouling.
From May 2018 it will be mandatory for all international vessels entering New Zealand waters to have a clean hull and in the interim action can be taken in severe cases as it has been with the DL Marigold.
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