Fleet Cleaner demonstrates ATEX-certified technology for hull cleaning of tankers during loading and unloading operations at Vopak terminals in Rotterdam
Cleaning the hull of oil tankers has always been an operational challenge. Like other ship types, the underwater hull of tankers gets fouled, increasing fuel consumption by 5-10%. Cleaning a tanker usually results in off-hire time because it often occurs at anchorages, buoys, or dolphins in ports. This inevitably leads to unwanted and costly downtime of the ship.
Fleet Cleaner has introduced a revolutionary ATEX-certified solution to solve this issue. The innovative hull cleaning ROV and the entire setup, including the work vessel, are designed to safely operate alongside tankers during their loading and unloading operations at the terminal or during ship-to-ship transfers.
The ATEX-certified system has been operational since early 2021, with the first successful demonstration at the Vopak Europoort terminal in the port of Rotterdam. Because Vopak continuously innovates within their terminal operations, they were proud to facilitate the launch of this innovative service at their terminal. Since then, the port authorities of Antwerp and Amsterdam have also granted permission for these operations, and many oil terminals have approved them. Fleet Cleaner now continuously cleans tankers at terminals.
Fleet Cleaner’s unique hull cleaning robot uses high-pressure water jets to remove biological growth from the ship’s hull during loading and unloading in the port. The removed fouling is immediately collected and pumped to a containerized wastewater treatment system aboard the support vessel. The entire operation is performed without divers, and the robot is controlled from the support vessel. In addition, the company offers full hull inspections in the ARAG region, UWILDS, and propeller polishing if needed.
Fleet Cleaner offers its services 24/7 throughout the ARAG region.
