Biofouling is the growth of algae, mussels, and other marine organisms on the hull of a ship.
The fouling increases the flow resistance of the ship – and thus increases fuel consumption and CO2 emissions. Mechanical cleaning of the fouling can damage the hull coating. In addition, the fouling must be extracted if organisms or even
parts of the ship’s coating are not to get into the water. Therefore, an environmentally friendly and efficient solution to the problem of biofouling is necessary. Hence, laser-based cleaning is an alternative effective approach to cleaning the microorganisms on ship hulls. The eco-friendly cleaning with Laser radiation can be used to lethally damage marine fouling underwater without damaging the underlying coating of the ship’s hull.
The laser is a unique source of light, providing energy in the form of a very intense, monochromatic, and well-collimated beam. When a laser beam interacts with a surface, part of the energy is reflected, and the remainde
