The hull cleaning company Fleet Cleaner has successfully conducted trial runs in Belgian ports and has now obtained permission to clean ships in the ports of Antwerp, Zeebrugge, and Ghent. Fleet Cleaner has developed a unique hull cleaning robot that uses high-pressure water jets to remove biofouling from the ship during loading and unloading in the port, resulting in significant fuel savings for shipping companies. The robot captures the removed pollution and pumps it to a containerized wastewater treatment system on board the support vessel. The entire operation is carried out without divers, and the robot is controlled from the support vessel. Fleet Cleaner has been successfully operating for two years with its innovative hull cleaning robot and wastewater treatment system in all Dutch ports and is now expanding its hull cleaning services to Belgian ports.
The trial runs were conducted in Ghent and Antwerp, where multiple samples were taken from the water around the robot, the collected wastewater, and the filtered water that was released back into the port. These samples were analyzed by an independent laboratory, and the results confirmed the high efficiency of the waste capture system and the wastewater treatment system, as well as the minimal environmental impact of the entire cleaning operation. The wastewater is filtered to 1 micron and then released back into the port. The captured waste is collected in large bags and disposed of ashore by a certified waste processor.
Since Fleet Cleaner has previously demonstrated its ability to clean any type of ship—from container ships and ro-ro ferries to bulk carriers and oil tankers—the demand for the in-water cleaning service is high. With this permission from the authorities, Fleet Cleaner now offers its services 24/7 throughout the entire ARAG region.
