PPG, DNV GL Partner on Hull Performance

MarineLink June 7, 2018

DNV GL’s George Dimopoulos, Head of R&D and advisory Greece and PPG’s Tom Molenda, Global Director Marine Coatings sign the collaboration agreement (Photo: PPG)

Protective and marine coatings manufacturer PPG said it has signed a collaboration agreement with classification society DNV GL focused on operational data analysis using DNV GL’s next-generation hull analysis methodologies.

The two companies, which together will look to tackle the challenge of poor hull and propeller performance, will collect data and apply DNV GL’s methodologies to contribute to help PPG further develop its coating solutions.

According to data published by the International Maritime Organization (IMO), about one tenth of the world fleet’s fuel consumption can be attributed to poor hull and propeller performance. This costs owners an estimated $30 billion in additional fuel costs per year and contributes to 0.3 percent of all manmade carbon emissions. Released in 2017, the ISO 19030 standard defines a set of performance indicators for hull and propeller maintenance, repair and retrofit activities to improve operational performance.

“DNV GL and PPG have identified a market demand for methodologies that go beyond ISO 19030 and share a common vision to develop future requirements and solutions that enable optimum vessel performance,” said Tom Molenda, PPG’s Global Marine Director. “Our goal is to enhance hull efficiency for multiple operational profiles and optimize vessel performance.”

DNV GL Senior Research Engineer Jason Stefanatos explained that as more owners invest in more sophisticated sensors, tools and systems to collect operational data, performance can be measured more precisely over time.

“By applying DNV GL’s expertise in hull degradation and operational data analysis tools, PPG will be better able to transparently demonstrate the impact of their coating solutions,” Stefanatos said, noting that the methodologies and data analytics tools are also available on DNV GL’s Fleet Performance Management Platform ECO Insight.

“The ECO Insight platform provides information on the performance of voyage, vessel, hull, engine, fuel, weather, cargoes, among other variables,” he explained. “And because we have access to real-time vessel performance data from more than 1,900 vessels, we are confident that our collaboration with PPG can be used by owners and operators to optimize hull performance.”