Fuel savings and emission reductions in the shipping industry through innovative propeller polishing robot technology

Vessel propellers have reduced power efficiency with increased growth of barnacles and fouling, leading to an increase in fuel consumption as high as 5%. SubBlue Robotics has developed an underwater propeller polishing robot that allows for propeller polishing without the use of divers, and is capable of careful, precise polishing of curved surfaces. As no divers are in the water, it can polish when the ship is loading and unloading cargo, thus saving the shipowner valuable idling. Idling is the reason why the propeller polishing is often skipped. The project will give technical robustness to the existing prototype, develop commercial grade components, and test the robot on commercial vessels. Leading partner is SubBlue Robotics, who has worked on the designs and prototypes since 2016, the MMMI institute at SDU provides knowledge on robots in harsh enviroments, while shipowners DFDS and Maersk and diving company Odin Diving represent the market demands the robot must meet. Three senior executives from CoGrow have invested in SubBlue Robotics, who has just secured yet more capital and competences from two more investors.