First hull clean performed at new permanent operations base
HullWiper’s first hull clean was recently completed at Qatar’s port of Ras Laffan under a new agreement with GAC Qatar to offer a global hull cleaning solution to vessels calling at Qatari ports and anchorages.
GAC Qatar is the only company to be granted a license by the country’s Environment Ministry to operate hull cleaning equipment in its waters as HullWiper’s Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) complies with the stringent regulations to ensure safe and eco-friendly removal of marine bio-fouling.
The first underwater clean using the HullWiper patented ROV at Ras Laffan saw 6120sqm of vertical sides of an LNG vessel cleaned in twelve hours.
The HullWiper system uses adjusted pressure salt-water jets, instead of brushes or abrasives, to remove and collect bio-fouling with no 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. Removed residues are collected by the ROV’s unique onboard filter and deposited into dedicated drums onshore for safe disposal at the Qatar Petroleum (QP) facility after a QP test.
Ship owners and operators benefit from a clean hull that improves vessel performance, fuel savings and lower CO2 emissions, without any extra downtime or harming our delicate marine ecosystem.
“Our decision to invest in providing a safe, eco-friendly and proven hull cleaning solution at Qatar ports and anchorages is in line with our strategy to expand the maritime services we offer,” says Daniel Nordberg, General Manager, GAC Qatar.
“LNG vessels benefit from HullWiper as our non-aggressive cleaning methods do not damage the premier coatings,” affirmed Simon Doran, Managing Director, HullWiper.
