Closing the fouling loop

Biofouling has long presented shipping with a dual problem: the environmental risk of transferring invasive aquatic species between regions, and the commercial cost of the increased hull resistance that follows. Even moderate fouling growth can produce measurable rises in fuel consumption. Although sophisticated performance monitoring tools are available, there is no agreed framework for translating monitoring data into timely, calibrated action.

A paper titled From Fouling to Fuel Savings: Accurate Fouling Avoidance by Implementing Performance Monitoring into Biofouling Management, presented at HullPIC 2026 by Ditte Gundermann, Andrea Farkas, Mads Bertelsen and Viktor Avlonitis of Hempel, sets out to address that gap. The paper evaluates hull performance monitoring as a practical detection layer for biofouling, examines its limitations and proposes best practices for embedding it in biofouling management plans in a way that satisfies the 2023 IMO Biofouling Guidelines while supporting day-to-day operational decisions.

Performance monitoring offers a continuous, non-intrusive signal of hull condition that