Underwater Repairs HullWiper expands into Sri Lanka and Guinea Dubai’s HullWiper has formed a partnership with World Subsea Services to bring sustainable and affordable hull cleaning solutions to vessels calling at the Port of Colombo in Sri Lanka. Strategically located in the Indian Ocean, Colombo Port is one of the country’s largest and busiest ports, particularly for container vessels. “The shipping industry has moved into an era of performing eco-conscious operations, and with this comes the responsibility of ship owners and operators to use green solutions,” says Lalindu Jayawickrama, World Subsea Services CEO. “We are preparing now for the inevitable possibility that the option to clean hulls using traditional methods may become extremely limited by offering a service that will not disrupt business continuity for vessels.” World Subsea Services joins HullWiper’s expanding family of partners around the world operating under their lease agreement introduced in 2017. The global network of hubs provides cost-effective, safe underwater hull cleaning solutions that protect both vessel’s expensive anti-fouling coatings and the marine ecosystem. HullWiper’s ROV is 100% environmentally friendly and uses adjustable seawater jets as the cleaning medium instead of brushes or abrasives, to minimise the risk of damage to coatings. Removing fouling from vessels’ hulls results in optimal performance, energy efficiency and reduced CO2 emissions, and avoids the expense of re-coating in case of damage. No divers are used, so there is no risk to human life. “With our industry focusing more and more on efficient, sustainable operations, HullWiper’s cleaning solution is an effective tool to improve a vessel’s fuel economy and carbon footprint,” says Simon Doran, HullWiper MD. “Colombo’s strategic location in the Indian Ocean makes it a key hub, with vessels sailing to and from Europe, East Africa, the Persian Gulf, East Asia and elsewhere in South Asia. Having access to advanced hull cleaning technology services at this key port will be beneficial both for ship owners’ and operators’ bottom lines, and the marine environment.” Meanwhile, HullWiper and Guinea’s Agemar have signed a lease agreement to meet the growing demand for hull cleaning solutions for vessels calling in Guinea. Agemar Guinea is part of global maritime consultancy and maritime logistics solutions provider, the Agemar
Group. It is the latest addition to HullWiper’s growing family of partners around the world operating under their leasing programme introduced in 2017. The partnership supports the Guinean government’s goal to bring environmentally friendly solutions and
operations into Guinean waters and to shipping in general. Alessandro Di Battista, Agemar Guinea’s General Manager, says, “Guinea’s close proximity to major shipping lines makes this operational hub in West Africa an ideal strategic
The HullWiper system
Volume 19 Issue 5 – Page 41
