Bulk Freight Vessels Benefit from Remote Hull Cleaning Technology

UAE – NETHERLANDS – GAC’s innovative HullWiper technology which we have featured previously, has been recognised at the International Bulk Journal (IBJ) Awards 2014 held in Rotterdam. Freight and logistics outfit GAC was short listed for the Bulk Ships Agent award which it won in 2013, but it was in the Innovative Technology category that the company triumphed with its remote vessel hull scrubber.

This award, sponsored by ship operating and management group Caravel, is presented to an organisation which can demonstrate how recently introduced equipment is reaping benefits for the bulk business, and the recognition is a triumph for GAC which literally only launched its underwater hull cleaning system HullWiper a year ago.

GAC claims that EnvironHull’s clean, green, cost-saving machine delivers the benefits of foul-free hulls in a fraction of the time required for traditional methods using divers with brushes. The remotely operated vehicle uses adjustable pressure seawater jets to remove fouling and collects debris for environmentally-sound disposal instead of discharging it into the sea. And because no divers are involved, cleaning can be done alongside loading or discharging operations.

HullWiper was launched in Dubai in November 2013 and is now available in the UAE ports of Fujairah and Sharjah, Gothenburg in Sweden and Sohar, Oman. GAC EnvironHull Managing Director Simon Doran says:

“There could be no better way to celebrate the first anniversary of HullWiper operations than this award. It confirms that our efforts to enhance and modernise shipping services meet a very real need, and spurs us on to continue pioneering innovations that help our clients maximise efficiency and returns.”