The HullSkater is a robot that is remotely controlled and that always remains with the vessel. When not in operation, the robot is lodged in a custom housing on deck, roaming the vessel on magnetic wheels when controlled through a 4G link via Jotun's dedicated control centers.

In addition to the robot, HSS consists of the specially designed antifouling SeaQuantum Skate and constructive condition monitoring using a patented Big Data algorithm customized to the needs of each vessel.

According to Jotun, before biofouling takes effect, HSS cleans hulls, removing related drag and fuel consumption and pollution, while preserving vessel coatings and shielding ecosystems from potentially invasive species looking to invade them.

In general, HHI is currently constructing a series of 16,000 TEU container vessels for HMM. To ensure that the ships follow key environmental performance indicators, maintain clean hulls, pristine coatings, provide maximum productivity and limit any possible release of biocides, the hull skating solution will be deployed. During main outfitting processes, it will switch from hull to hull.

“HMM is committed to building a fleet that is defined by sustainable innovation, enabling us to hit our ambitious target of achieving zero CO2 emissions by 2050. We aim to be proactive in identifying, adopting and developing the best solutions, and Jotun’s approach to hull cleaning is the perfect fit for that strategy,” stated Jong-Chul Choi, Executive Vice President of HMM.

The Norwegian-based company estimates that if the constructive HSS strategy was followed by all ships facing significant biofouling problems, maritime CO2 emissions could be reduced by at least 40 million tons per year.

In checking out the technology, HMM joins another container shipping giant. In September 2020, Jotun signed the first commercial contract for container vessels for its HSS with the largest Mediterranean shipping company for container shipping.

In collaboration with KONGSBERG, HSS has been established over several years and brought to market by Jotun.

In a multi-year project in collaboration with Wallenius Wilhelmsen, Berge Bulk, and Maersk, among others, the solution has been tested on vessels.

Maritime Business World