A Review on the Drag Reduction Methods of the Ship Hulls for Improving the Hydrodynamic Performance

Hydrodynamic performance of a marine vessel mainly depends on the frictional and pressure resistance. Pressure drag reduction could be achieved by improving the shape of the vessels with implementation of modern hull forms. Hull forms optimization techniques could also be used for this purpose. Other techniques are needed to deal with the viscous portion of the total resistance, which is mainly frictional resistance. In this paper, an extensive literature review on the different methods applied to reduce the resistance of marine vessels was made, and the advantages and disadvantages of the implemented methods were identified. The related papers were categorized into three main categories and a summary of experimental and theoretical studies was provided. On the basis of results obtained from the reviewed research studies, the combination of hull form optimization methods with other applicable drag reduction technologies such as antifouling coating is recommended to optimize the hydrodynamic forces.