Impact of the COVID–19 on Container Ships Efficiency

Abstract

Coronavirus (COVID-19) has significantly slowed down the global economy, affecting global shipping and impacting all shipping sectors. COVID19 slowdowns disrupt port operations and cause delays in planned schedules at major ports around the world. Around of 2,4 million TEUs (10 % of the Container fleet at the end of 2021) was waiting globally due to port´s congestion. Ship operators are facing increasing problems from biofouling, which occurs during idle periods. The considerable extent of hard fouling appears to be due to increasing idle time; COVID-19 shows the extent of unnecessarily increasing fuel consumption, emissions and speed losses due to increased hydrodynamic drag. Most antifouling paints are toxic and extremely harmful to the environment, and increasing idle time causes additional amounts of leached biocides in the port area. Ship operators are increasingly demanding antifouling paints that are suitable for specific ship routes as well as for the different activities of the ships. This paper focuses on the possibility of reviewing the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on the efficiency of container shipping. The authors emphasis the need for the use of a new environmentally friendly technology against biofouling, as container ship lay times increase significantly in the COVID-19 pandemic.