One of the key priorities of the GreenHull project is cross-border cooperation, according to which we formed a consortium of 5 partners, 3 Slovenian and 2 Italian. On the Slovenian side, in addition to the Jozef Stefan International Postgraduate School, the National Institute of Biology, the Piran Marine Biological Station and the company Esotech from Velenje also participate. On the Italian side, we have involved CORILA from Venice and COMET from Pordenone. Luka Koper, Luka Trieste and ARPA FVG participate as associated partners. The project duration is 30 months and it will be completed at the end of August 2022. The total budget of the project is slightly less than 960,000 EUR.

Numerous maritime routes in global and regional traffic harm the local environment in the Northern Adriatic. Shipping boats represent a risks to the environment due to the release of greenhouse gases and the accumulation of biological vegetation on ship hulls. In this way, alien species can be released into the local environment, some of which are invasive and could reduce local biodiversity. Furthermore, dangerous chemical substances from the antifouling coatings of ship hulls can also enter in the local environment. In GreenHull project we offer solutions for these problems by developing three prototypes of innovative green technologies for in-water cleaning of biofouling. We are developing a prototype of a remotely controlled underwater vehicle (ROV) with a cleaning attachment and a modular waste-water treatment device. In addition, we are also formulating guidelines for the development and use of these technologies in accordance with existing legislation in the field of marine water and waste management.

The developed prototype technologies represent several advantages, which are listed in the presentation at DRIVE and contribute to achieving the goals of the European Green Deal. The technical specifications of the ROV together with the cleaning module are shown graphically in the video presentation on the website. In the cleaning unit, we use the cavitation effect to clean biofouling from the hull of ships. This method has proven to be the most effective even for underwater cleaning in niche areas. The cavitation process does not destroy hull coatings, but only removes particles of biofouling. The WiMo probe is one of the environmental sensors that is used to monitor and measure seven different seawater parameters before, during and after in-water cleaning of biofouling; this ensures that in-water hull cleaning is safe and environmentally friendly. The ROV with a cleaning assembly and a WiMo probe were presented to the public at the Venice Boat Show at the end of May 2022.

In GreenHull, we also develop a prototype of a modular waste seawater treatment plant. Particles smaller than one millimeter are removed with mechanical cleaning; metal particles, such as copper and zinc, are removed with physical-chemical cleaning; particles smaller than 300 micrometers are removed with a sand filter; various microorganisms are removed with UV disinfection.

In the implementation of the entire project, the aspect of national, European and international legislation is extremely important. For this purpose, together with the experts, we conducted numerous analyzes of legislative regulations and guidelines and came to the conclusion that this type of cleaning system with developed technology prototypes complies with all legal provisions.

We kindly invite you to the final event that the GreenHull project will organize on August 26, 2022 in Piran. More information about the project and the event can be found at www.ita-slo.eu/greenhull.