Netherlands-based Fleet Cleaner has named its third specialist hull cleaning vessel and unveiled an operation service for its fleet of vessels using remotely operated underwater robots.
A converted inland general cargo craft was christened Thunderbird 3 in a ceremony in Antwerp by Marianna Mastellone, newbuilding project and energy manager at MSC Sorrento, a ship-management arm of Mediterranean Shipping Co.
Cornelis de Vet, co-founder and chief operating officer of the Dutch company, said MSC was one of the first companies to give Fleet Cleaner an opportunity to prove its technology.
Hull biofouling and its role in invasive species transfer and carbon emissions due to increased fuel use are coming under increased scrutiny as regulations to decarbonise fleets come into play, and Fleet Cleaner said the addition of Thunderbird 3 will add to its armoury.
The vessel is able to clean up to 150 ships per year, which Fleet Cleaner calculates would reduce emissions equivalent to that from around 200,000 cars per year.
The firm said the vessel is entirely ATEX-certified to avoid any risk of explosion, making it suitable for cleaning all ship types during cargo operations at terminals, including tankers.
A hydraulically powered, remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROV) is attached by magnets to the vessel being cleaned and pressurised, filtered seawater is pumped via an umbilical connection for use as the cleaning medium.
The ROV can cover up to 2,000 square metres per hour and is designed to operate up to 50 metres underwater.
Removed fouling is transported via the umbilical back to Thunderbird 3, where it is filtered and stored or transported by barge.
The company is looking to expand and said it has inspected two other vessels that may become Thunderbirds 4 and 5. By the end of this year, it expects to be performing daily inspections in seven countries around the world.
Fleet Cleaner now has a Delft-based control centre from which it can operate its hull cleaning vessels remotely around the clock while reducing crew on them.
Alex Noordstrand chief executive and co-founder of Fleet Cleaner, said: “Remote operation is an essential step for further automation that will increase production and grow our operations sustainably.”
He said remote work is the future.
Anders Wulff, head of continental Europe and Mediterranean operations at bulker owner Ultrabulk, said: “With Fleet Cleaner’s service, we get our hulls cleaned during loading and discharging operations, so we save time, and the hulls are cleaned effectively and without damaging the antifouling.”
