Skin Friction database simplifies antifouling cost/benefit analysis

Amid the unrelenting focus on reducing fuel consumption in order to meet EEDI regulations, one potential area for reducing hull resistance has been partially neglected. The impact of biofilm or fouling on hull resistance has long been understood. As skin friction can account for anything between 50% and 85% of the total hydrodynamic resistance a ship must overcome, anything that can reduce this resistance will lower costs. But quantifying the impact of hull roughness on skin friction resistance, and ultimately fuel consumption, is complicated by the difficulty of modelling hull roughness.