Barnacles Delay Vessels’ Return to Service　船底に付着したフジツボが運航再開を阻む

Hull Cleaning Emerges as the Next Bottleneck After the Hormuz Crisis

ホルムズ危機後、船底清掃が新たなボトルネックに

　As tensions surrounding the Strait of Hormuz begin to ease and expectations grow for the gradual resumption of transits, a new challenge is emerging for the shipping industry. Demand for hull cleaning is rising.

　Vessels that have been forced to remain idle or at anchor in the Persian Gulf for several months are experiencing significant marine growth, including barnacles and algae, on their hulls and propellers, raising the risk of higher fuel consumption and reduced sailing speeds. A shortage of specialist diving teams and rising hull-cleaning costs are also beginning to emerge.

■The full article covers the following topics (approximately 2,000 Japanese characters)

→ Why hull cleaning could become the next bottleneck to the normalisation of vessel operations even after transits through the Strait of Hormuz resume

→ The operational risks posed by barnacles and algae accumulated during prolonged lay-ups, including deteriorating fuel efficiency and reduced vessel speed

→ The impact of surging demand for hull cleaning on the availability of specialist diving teams and rising cleaning costs

→ Inspection priorities for fuel integrity, hull condition and anti-fouling coating performance highlighted by Skuld

→ Why Japanese shipowners and operators should focus on operational recovery capabilities and careful planning before returning vessels to service

(Photo courtesy of Sandeep Pandey)

(Please read the remainder of this article in the paid edition, published in both English and Japanese. The Japanese version follows the English article.)

船底に付着したフジツボが運航再開を阻む

ホルムズ危機後、船底清掃が新たなボトルネックに

　ホルムズ海峡を巡る緊張が和らぎ、一部で通航再開への期待が高まる一方、運航現場では新たな課題が浮上している。船底清掃需要が急増しているためだ。

数カ月にわたりペルシャ湾で停船・錨泊を余儀なくされた船舶では、フジツボや藻類などの海洋生物が船底やプロペラに大量に付着し、燃費悪化や速力低下を招く恐れが高まっている。専門潜水士の不足や清掃費の上昇も始まっている。

■記事本文では以下の内容を読むことができます（記事全文約2,000文字）

→ ホルムズ海峡の通航再開後も、船底清掃が運航正常化の新たなボトルネックになる可能性

→ 長期停船で進むフジツボや藻類の付着が、燃費悪化や速力低下を招く実務リスク

→ 船底清掃需要の急増に伴う専門潜水士不足や清掃費上昇の影響

→ Skuldが指摘する燃料品質、船体状態、防汚塗料性能の点検ポイント

→ 日本船主・オペレーターが危機後に重視すべき「復旧力」と運航再開の段取り

（写真協力＝Sandeep pandey）

（続きは英語と日本語で書かれた有料版の本文でお読みください。日本語の記事は英文記事に続いて掲載されています）