Hullbot Autonomous Ship Hull Cleaning System

Biofouling is a major issue in global shipping, reducing fuel efficiency by 10-30% on average and creating hundreds of millions of tonnes of CO₂ annually. Hullbot tackles this with autonomous, in-water robotic cleaners that maintain hulls without drydocking. Unlike traditional methods that rely on harsh chemicals and manual labour in hazardous conditions, Hullbot removes the need for human exposure to dangerous environments. This improves safety while also reducing fuel consumption, emissions, and the spread of invasive species. By making hull maintenance safer, faster, and more sustainable, Hullbot offers a smarter approach to one of shipping’s toughest environmental and operational challenges.

Hullbot’s design addresses the issue of biofouling and its environmental impact by providing an autonomous, in-water hull cleaning system. Over six iterations, Hullbot’s robots evolved to offer a proactive, fuel-saving solution that reduces emissions and prevents invasive species transfer. Initially designed for yachts, Hullbot’s service shifted in 2023 to ferries, where the impact on fuel efficiency and sustainability was greater. The system’s ability to operate remotely from Australia, coupled with the fleet expansion to 20 units, has allowed Hullbot to offer a global service, achieving major milestones like the world’s first robotic propeller grooming in 2024.

Hullbot’s autonomous hull maintenance system delivers environmental, commercial, and human safety benefits. Traditional hull cleaning often requires costly drydocking, disrupting vessel schedules and exposing workers to hazardous chemicals and confined spaces. Hullbot’s in-water robotic solution prevents biofouling without these risk, cutting fuel costs and emissions, reducing invasive species transfer, and keeping vessels operational. By removing the need for human involvement in dangerous environments, Hullbot not only improves safety but also enables proactive, efficient hull care that scales across the shipping industry. This a scalable solution, with different robots servicing vessels, from ferries to cargo ships.

Key features of Hullbot’s autonomous hull maintenance system:** - Proactive in-water cleaning – Grooms hulls regularly to prevent biofouling before it impacts performance, unlike traditional reactive cleaning. This keeps efficiency consistent. - Autonomous operation– Fully robotic, requiring no human divers or manual intervention, vastly improving safety and consistency. - No disruption to vessel schedule – Operates in-port or alongside normal operations, removing the need for costly drydocking and the days/ weeks wasted while ship is out of service. - Extends hull coating lifespan – Reduces wear and damage, enabling coatings to last over twice as long in real-world cases. - Enables use of eco-friendly coatings – Makes silicone-based, biocide-free coatings viable, eliminating toxic runoff and microplastic pollution. - Improves fuel efficiency – Maintains a smooth hull surface, reducing drag and lowering fuel consumption and CO₂ emissions as a byproduct. - Reduces invasive species transfer – Consistent maintenance limits the risk of organisms hitching rides between ecosystems. Hullbot’s system has already demonstrated real-world impact, for example, with San Francisco Bay Ferries extending their hull coating lifespan beyond 11 years, more than double the typical cycle. NRMA has reduced their ferry fleets fuel usage up to 13%. By combining operational efficiency with environmental and regulatory benefits, Hullbot offers a modern, scalable solution for sustainable shipping.