Shiprepair eNews December 2017
GAC Egypt is now offering the HullWiper hull cleaning system to vessels berthing at ports in the Suez Canal and they have already undertaken the first job on a crude oil tanker. With about 60 vessels a day transiting the Suez Canal it is a key transit hub.
Mohammed Badawi, Managing Director of GAC Egypt said, “HullWiper is suitable for all commercial vessels, but segments we are especially looking to serve in Egypt include container vessels calling at the Ports of Said and Suez, as well as the increasing number of offshore marine service vessels operating in the Mediterranean and Gulf of Suez.”
HullWiper Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) is a diver-free, cost-effective and environmentally-friendly solution for underwater hull cleaning. Since there is no need for diver intervention, the cleaning job can be carried out whilst cargo work is underway or at anchor, and in most weather conditions, thus saving valuable time. It can clean up to 2,000 m² / hour.
Unlike other cleaning solutions, HullWiper uses seawater under high pressure as a cleaning medium, rather than brushes or abrasives, minimising damage to the anti-fouling coating. The removed hull residues and marine growth are filtered and collected in a special waste unit connected to the ROV. It is then disposed of on land in an environmentally-friendly manner instead of being discharged into port waters.
It is fitted with a light and camera, allowing the operator to control, monitor and record the cleaning process from the support vessel. A video of the operation is presented with the cleaning report documentation.
HullWiper Ltd was set-up in Dubai in December 2013 and they have already won various marine industry awards for their technology. They have now established a network of underwater hull cleaning ROVs, in ports in Sweden, Singapore, Spain, Netherlands, Norway, United Arab Emirates and on an ad-hoc basis at other key locations in the Middle East. To date these units have performed more than 700 hull cleaning operations.
The HullWiper ROV’s units are built in Norway to exacting Norwegian offshore standards with a frame constructed using stainless steel tubing and it can operate down to depths of 100m. The units weigh 1,200kg with dimensions: 330 cm (L) x 170 cm (W) x 85 cm (H).
