Demonstration of HSS

The maritime industry is experiencing a shift in regulations, with stricter requirements on energy efficiency, carbon intensity and biofouling management. Keeping the vessels underwater hull clean has become more important than ever. The Hull Skating Solution (HSS) is a proactive cleaning tool for ships' hulls, developed by Jotun and Kongsberg Discovery, in collaboration with other partners. The primary project objective of this project has been to successfully demonstrate HSS within the container, LNG, cruise, and bulk segment. The project has achieved several key milestones during this demonstrator, main one being the development of the new docking station for the HullSkater, called the Skate Station Railing (SSR), which has gone through all development phases from concept, detailed design, prototyping, testing, validation, and now being in an industrialization phase. The project has utilized system engineering techniques to manage and leverage knowledge for further improvement of the solution, and involved multidisciplinary teams of electronic, software and mechanical engineers to develop the unit. Key to enabling this process has been the technical partners in form of shipowners. Without their knowledge this demonstrator would not be possible. The project has followed the planned work packages and deliverables, with some adjustments to ensure the goals of each work package were met. The resources have been utilized in a responsible and sustainable manner. The project has been able to demonstrate the primary objective on several vessels. Norbris-Arriva a bulk vessel, MSC Allegra-MSC and Tolten-Hapag Lloyd container vessels both with world-wide trade. Onboard these vessels the technical fit and capacity of the solution has been validated. Outstanding is LNG and cruise segment, which will have to be validated at a later stage. The project has also involved close collaboration and communication between the partners, stakeholders, and end-users, ensuring that the solution met the requirements and expectations of the maritime industry, and adhered to the ethical and legal standards of research and innovation. The project has developed an innovative and cutting-edge solution for hull biofouling prevention and management, which can reduce fuel consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, and invasive species in the maritime sector, aligning with the UN sustainable development goals of Climate Action (Goal 13) and life below water (Goal 14). The project has also generated new knowledge and insights into the performance, optimization, and integration of the different components of the solution, as well as fostered collaboration and communication between the project partners, stakeholders, and end-users, creating a strong network and community of interest around HSS. The project partners plan to disseminate and utilize the results of the project in various ways, such as developing training materials and manuals for the end-users, establishing a feedback loop and continuous improvement process with the end-users, using HSS as a flagship product that showcasing their expertise and innovation, presenting the results and demonstrations at industry events, trade fairs, and exhibitions, engaging with relevant regulatory bodies and authorities, and strengthening their collaboration and synergy by integrating their complementary technologies and capabilities.

The project has achieved the following outcomes and impacts: It has developed a novel solution for hull surface maintenance that reduces fuel consumption, emissions, and biofouling, as well as extends the service life of hull coatings. It has involved close collaboration between technical partners and end-users from Norway, Italy, and Germany, creating a cross-border network of stakeholders interested in sustainable maritime solutions. It has demonstrated the feasibility and benefits of the HSS system in various sea conditions and vessel types, generating valuable data and feedback for further improvement and optimization. It has contributed to the advancement of knowledge and innovation in the fields of robotics, sensors, machine learning, and marine engineering. It has raised awareness and interest among the maritime community and the general public about the environmental and economic challenges and opportunities of hull surface maintenance, as well as the potential of HSS and other green technologies to address them. The project also has the potential to achieve the following outcomes and impacts: It can create new market opportunities and competitive advantages for the technical partners and other Nordic companies in the global maritime sector, as well as to support the transition to a low-carbon and circular economy.

Proactive cleaning is a new tool in the biofouling management toolbox. Instead of relying on anti-fouling properties in hull coatings alone, hull coatings are combined with cleaning at a sufficiently high frequency to ensure biofouling is removed before it becomes a problem. Jotun and Kongsberg Maritime, along with other partners, have been developing the world’s first proactive cleaning solution – the Hull Skating Solution (HSS). HSS combines a hull coating optimized for proactive cleaning with teleoperated inspection and cleaning with a purpose developed robot that is stationed onboard each vessel. A 1st generation of the solution is currently being demonstrated within the RoRo segment. The primary project objective is to successfully demonstrate HSS within the container, LNG, cruise and bulk segment. A 1st underlying objective is to demonstrate that the solution has the fit and capacity needed to keep the hull always clean also within cruise - despite very challenging operations. A second underlying objective is to demonstrate that the solution’s value add makes the business case attractive for both customer and supplier. A first R&D challenge is to adapt HSS to fit vessels within the segments. A second is to ensure the new version of the solution has the capacity needed to keep the hull always clean despite very challenging operations. A final R&D challenge is to determine the value add of keeping hulls always clean in the cruise segment.