US company Armach Robotics says it has reached another milestone in its mission to deliver a sustainable and scalable solution in managing biofouling for the global shipping industry.
Following a successful period of demonstrating the effectiveness of its hull cleaning robots with commercial shipping operators, Armach has announced the launch of EverClean – a service delivering always clean hulls for ship owners and operators, with the added value of perpetual hull condition monitoring.
Currently, the additional focus and pressure on ship operators to work more intensively towards decarbonising and managing biofouling has led to heightened demand for a cost-effective, and sustainable solution. EverClean is believed to enter the market at the right time to meet this need, with demonstrable success in maintaining a ship in an always clean state.
Managing biofouling on ships has long been a challenge, with associated problems, including vessel scheduling, maintenance, increased hull deterioration, and reduced efficiency, affecting commercial interests, as well as the environmental impacts, including higher emissions through drag, and the transportation of invasive species.
Not long after being highlighted as a ‘solution to watch’, having been shortlisted by the Ocean Opportunity Lab and World Ocean Council’s as part of the Biofouling Innovation Challenge, Armach successfully completed its phase of proving the concept of its robotic hull cleaning system with selected ship operators.
Thanks to its navigation technology, the hull service robot navigates its way over the hull intelligently, and, similar to georeferencing, maps the hull condition to its appropriate on-hull location. This ensures the cleaning of each section of the hull without accidental repeat, giving EverClean a competitive advantage, and offering ship owners and operators a cost-effective way to ensure a clean hull at all times, with the addition of an accurate hull condition survey after each clean.
