ROV Pair Cleans Ship Hulls Double Time; HullWiper expands into South Korea

HullWiper launched operations at its newest location, South Korea. Through a partnership with HullWiper Korea, a company based at the Korea Maritime and Ocean University in Busan, it will provide green, sustainable and affordable hull cleaning solutions to all vessel types calling at the country’s main ports.

Hull cleaning in South Korea is highly regulated to prevent illegal operations performed by divers contaminating local waters with biofouling. HullWiper offers the most eco-friendly solution using Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs) to remove and collect all debris from hulls without releasing them into the sea.

By deploying two ROVs simultaneously, HullWiper saves time for ship owners and operators as cleaning can be performed in half the time needed for a single ROV. HullWiper Korea has also designed and developed the “Esther”, an eco-friendly vessel to transport the two ROV units to ports in Busan, Ulsan, Pohang, Masan, Jinhae, Yeosu and Gwangyang. The combination of the fast-moving “Esther” transport vessel and the two ROVs enable a Cape Size vessel’s hull to be cleaned within eight hours. Recent hull cleans for vessels currently in cold and hot lay ups due to the COVID-19 pandemic have shown remarkable results in terms of fuel savings once they are reactivated after being cleaned.

HullWiper Korea joins the fast-growing global network of hubs operating under HullWiper’s lease agreement, which was introduced in 2017. Since its launch in late 2013, HullWiper has expanded from its first base in Dubai to key locations across the Middle East, as well as ports in Australia, Denmark, Egypt, Gibraltar, Mauritius, Namibia, Norway, Panama, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Sweden.

To date, HullWiper has performed hull cleans for more than 1,400 vessels worldwide.