Impact of marine corrosion on ship operation

In this paper, the effect of increased roughness which results in increased power consumption has been discussed. It has been advocated that the understanding of marine corrosion and taking proper and timely action for maintenance can reduce the overall operating cost of the ship. The various aspects like roughness of ship surface in operation, effect of hull roughness on ship performance, rough propeller effects are also discussed in the article. A typical ship data analysis on the measured roughness of the ship and shaft horse power (SHP) consumption at a speed of 13.25 knots are also presented. Due to corrosion effects, the strength of ship hull also gets affected and, hence, any reliability analysis of ship structure should include this aspect. It is suggested that suitable codes should be prepared based on probability of failure during ship's life due to marine corrosion.