To verify the speed and power predictions, model tank tests were carried out at MARIN's test tank in 
Wageningen. The results were very positive, noted the yard, and the speed of 18 knots will indeed be reached on less than 3,000kW, and compared to a ship of the same tonnage and cubic capacity engaged on a similar trade, total fuel consumption will be significantly reduced, primarily as a result of a high speed in combination with the relatively low power input. 

The hold is 61.60m x 11.50m x 8.17m, and thus has exceptional capacity - some 53,943 m³ - for a ship of such dimensions, "With her low cost per voyage, her excellent capacities with her cranes and tweendecks, Hartman Sea trade can serve clients in a better and cheaper way with Deo Volente compared to vessels with similar capacities," said Hartman.

"Using this kind of coating will have a number of benefits," said Hartman, noting that Deo Volente will be the first Dutch cargo vessel using the specially-developed coating.
"Being a silicon-based antifouling, it has no biocides that will be released into the environment, so it is more environmentally friendly, and because the resistance of the coating itself is very low, it will mean that the overall resistance of the ship is 2-3 lower, and thus contribute to achieving the desired speed and reduced fuel consumption," he explained. 

Instead of using biocides, the two-component silicone elastomeric antifouling delivers effective performance by exploiting what the manufacturer calls "the intrinsic properties of low surface energy."

Once applied Sigma Glide produces a slick, slippery hull surface to which macro and algal fouling have difficulty adhering. Fouling settles in the normal way under stationary conditions, but its adhesion to the coated substrate is poor. Once water flows across the SigmaGlide surface, the fouling cannot maintain its hold and begins to detach. Fouling starts to release at 5kt, and by 15kt, the surface is 
clear of all fouling. 

The hull of Deo Volente is now 70-75% complete and is due to be towed from Poland to the Netherlands at the end of July. "We want to wait to gain some experience operating the ship first, but we are very confident in the design," Hartman told Solutions, noting that, assuming Deo Volente performs as expected, more ships based on the design could be ordered.