Robots Tackle Bio‑Fouling—No Dry‑Dock Required

Greensea IQ introduced its EverClean hull‑inspection robot at Ocean Business 2025. The magnetic crawler lives permanently on the hull, using AI‑vision to detect slime early and micro‑polish coatings weekly—before barnacles anchor. Field trials on a 168‑m tanker show the robot maintains a clean‑hull equivalent (C‑HE) of 98 %, translating to ~6 % fuel savings and sparing owners the cost and safety risk of diver inspections. Regulators eyeing bio‑fouling as an invasive‑species vector call the tech "game‑changing."
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This story is part of the Maritime AI Digest of 3 May 2025.