Owners who upgrade from biocide-based anti-foulings to biocide-free foul release hull coatings in IP’s Intersleek range will have fuel consumption figures monitored before and after application of the new coating, with the differential independently verified and subsequently qualifying for the issue of carbon credits by The Gold Standard Foundation.
IP executives claim that additional savings from latest generation foul release coatings, as compared with biocide-based antifoulings, have been independently validated at between 6-10%. Ship operators can now benefit not only from daily savings in bunker bills, they point out, but also from the generation of carbon credits.
The system will be administered by IP but independently validated and the credits can be used in various ways: to generate cash; to offset the higher cost of premium coatings; or to offset carbon emissions from other areas of business.
Some 2000 ships are now in operation with foul release coatings in IP’s Intersleek range and these owners and operators are already eligible to benefit from the new methodology and receive credits that have already been accrued. But ship operators who have invested in other fuel-saving measures – ducts or fins, for example – will not be eligible because fuel and carbon savings solely attributable to the upgraded hull coatings must be quantifiable.
