A marine engineer will need to have a broad background of knowledge within several aspects of marine design and operations. These aspects relate to the design of facilities for offshore applications and evaluation of operational conditions for marine installation and modification/maintenance works. Such needs arise in the marine industries, in the offshore oil and gas industry as well as in the offshore renewable industry. Developed from knowledge gained throughout the author’s engineering career, this book covers several of the themes where engineers need knowledge and also serves as a teaser for those who will go into more depth on the different thematic aspects discussed. Details of qualitative risk analysis, which is considered an excellent tool to identify risks in marine operations, are also included. The book is the author’s attempt to develop a text for those in marine engineering science who like a practical and solid mathematical approach to marine engineering. It is the intention that the book can serve as an introductory textbook for master degree courses in marine sciences and be of inspiration for teachers who will extend the course into specialisation courses on stability of vessels, higher order wave analysis, nonlinear motions of vessels, arctic offshore engineering, etc. The book could also serve as a handbook for PhD students and researchers who need a handy introduction to solving marine technology related problems.

Biofouling is a costly problem, and it is encountered in a wide spectrum of technical systems, ranging from the shipping industry, power industry, water purification, automobile industry, paint and pharmaceuticals, to the microelectronics and food industries. Micro- and macroorganisms attach to surfaces and accumulate there, forming biofilms that cause interferences – a fundamentally natural process. Usually, a medical paradigm is applied: kill biofilms and the problem is solved. This leads to excessive biocide use. However, the success of this strategy is very limited; furthermore it leads to equipment damage and environmental pollution. Simply trying to kill the fouling organisms is clearly not seen as a successful strategy while cleaning is put forward as much more important. In this book, strategies to prevent adhesion, to mitigate the extent and effects of biofouling, and to detect and remove fouling layers are presented. Holistic approaches to the fouling process are elaborated, taking into account options such as nutrient limitation, repellent and easy-to-clean surfaces for fouling layer limitation, and replacing biocides with more environmentally friendly methods – in other words: learning how to live with fouling biofilms without suffering the damage they can do.