In december 2016, Fleet Cleaner has successfully completed its first hull cleaning trial by cleaning the HNLMS Karel Doorman, the largest vessel of the Royal Netherlands Navy. In the Dutch port of Den Helder the company Fleet Cleaner has removed the fouling of the vessel by using its innovative ship hull cleaning ROV.
The operation was unique since both under- and above water cleaning was performed by the robot. Due to loading and unloading, up to 20% of the fouled surface can be above the waterline in port.
The company aims to offer the most complete ship hull cleaning service, significantly reducing fuel costs for shipping companies. The installation, developed by Fleet Cleaner, is able to clean a vessel during loading and unloading in ports. Due to the use of controllable high pressure waterjets, the coating is not damaged during the cleaning process. This is also confirmed by coating experts during the Karel Doorman cleaning with several coating measurements. All removed fouling is captured by the ROV and filtered by the support system, resulting in an environmental friendly hull cleaning solution.
Source: Fleet Cleaner