Norway green loan backs vessel conversions for robotic hull-cleaning expansion in Singapore

ECOsubsea plans to increase capacity in Singapore due to the rising demand for remote hull cleaning services, with ship operators realising the value of keeping hulls clean, reducing fuel consumption and cutting CO2 emissions.

This loan will be matched with equity from private investors over the next six months, and ECOsubsea said the new robots would be delivered this year.

ECOsubsea has long-term ambitions to capture 50% of the growing hull-cleaning market through a global network of 250 cleaning robots in locations including Singapore, Panama, Suez (Egypt) and Gibraltar.

“It is a question of keeping the status quo or taking concrete action to minimise marine fouling – the only way to do this is scaling safe, effective and eco-friendly solutions,” said ECOsubsea managing director Tor Mikal Østervold.

Innovation Norway’s “loan provides a catalyst for us to scale faster and make an even bigger contribution to preserving the environment.”

Pink Panther cleans hulls in 8-m swathes, enabling a large ship to be cleaned in just four hours, compared with up to 40 hours for traditional cleaning methods using divers with the ship at berth.

Cleaning hulls while ships are bunkering at anchor also saves time and voyages, contributing further to safer and more efficient turnarounds.

ECOsubsea estimates that effective, industrywide hull cleaning has the potential to reduce emissions from shipping by 100M tonnes of CO2 globally every year.

Pink Panther robot also collects all fouling debris from hulls, minimising the spread of invasive species and stopping hull-coating toxins from polluting the seabed.

“The purpose of green-growth loans is to incentivise private capital while providing attractive terms for companies investing in climate-friendly solutions,” said Innovation Norway chief executive Håkon Haugli.

“ECOsubsea’s results have surpassed all expectations, and this year will be the first full year of operation for the Pink Panther. ECOsubsea has secured a strong head-start in a huge market and has big ambitions to scale up the business in the coming years.”

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