Meet the tiny robot saving thousands of litres in marine fuel

It weighs 10kg and looks a lot like a garden-variety pool cleaner, but this diminutive robot is conserving thousands of litres in marine fuel every year.

It’s called the Hullbot, and it’s an Australian-designed and made device that is unlocking big efficiency gains on the NRMA’s Manly Fast Ferry fleet.

A recent trial between the NRMA and the Rozelle-based hull-cleaning robot manufacturer revealed a 13 per cent fuel reduction on the diesel-powered NRMA Manly Fast Ferry fleet.

Using its arsenal of 4K cameras (mounted on the top, front and rear), dedicated lighting, sensors and propellers, the Hullbot successfully replaced the role of human divers during the trial to deliver a more regular, time-efficient hull cleaning maintenance.

Doing so reduced the amount of underwater drag created by biofouling (the accumulation of marine growth on ship hulls), which in turn made the circa 24-metre long vessels more efficient through the water.

Furthermore, the AI-powered robots performed critical cleaning duties on the hull exteriors that eliminated the need for antifouling paints.

Chief operating officer of the NRMA’s Marine arm, Nigel Ellsmore, said the Hullbot robots were found to reduce fuel consumption and diesel pollution on Sydney Harbour during the trial.

“We’ve seen first-hand how Hullbot delivers real results for our fleet – these robots have seamlessly integrated into the Manly Fast Ferry’s daily operations allowing us to cut fuel consumption and lower our carbon emissions,” Mr Ellsmore said.

“By reducing our fuel consumption it is helping our bottom line, removing diesel pollution from Sydney’s beautiful harbour and helping NRMA meet its carbon emission targets.”

During the trial, the Hullbot robots successfully cleaned the NRMA catamaran twice a week. Operators would lower two devices into the water during each clean (one for each hull) before allowing them to autonomously work their way over the hull (projecting images in live time to a connected laptop in case certain spots required closer inspection).

Hullbot chief executive Tom Loefler said the AI-powered technology was designed to make cleaning hulls safer, more efficient and environmentally sound.

“Our technology enables fleet operators to drastically cut fuel use and emissions while eliminating antifouling practices and we are pleased to have partnered with one of Australia’s most trusted brands, the NRMA-owned Manly Fast Ferry,” Mr Loefler said.

The Hullbot trial is part of a broader commitment by the NRMA Group to reduce its operational emissions by 30 per cent by 2030 and to achieve net zero by 2050.