In-water Hull Inspection and Cleaning Innovation

MPA selected six partners on 22 April 2026 for MINT Fund-supported R&D and trials of robotic in-water hull inspection and cleaning solutions in Singapore's port waters. The selected partners are Alicia Bots, C-Leanship, Neptune Robotics, Oceanis Robotics, RINA and SEAHI Robotics. Their projects bring together technology providers, service operators, a classification society and shipowner collaborators to test solutions under actual operating conditions (MPA, selected hull-inspection and cleaning partners).

Why the trials matter

Marine biofouling—the accumulation of organisms and other growth on a vessel's submerged hull—increases hydrodynamic drag, fuel consumption and emissions. In-water inspection and cleaning can maintain vessel performance between dry-dockings, but conventional operations can be labour-intensive and expose divers to limited visibility, entanglement hazards, marine growth and debris. Robotic systems are intended to improve safety, efficiency, cost-effectiveness and environmental sustainability without taking vessels out of service (MPA, selected hull-inspection and cleaning partners; MPA, CFP). The operational challenge is especially relevant in a busy port, where inspection or cleaning must be carried out safely alongside vessel movements, berth constraints and cargo activity rather than in an isolated laboratory environment.

Technical and environmental focus

The CFP identifies difficult operating conditions and complex hull geometries, including propellers, rudders and sea chests. Cleaning systems must capture biofouling waste and prevent invasive-species release, while operating in tight spaces near berths and vessels without disrupting cargo operations. Inspection systems are expected to provide real-time feedback and reporting, and both types of system must address performance verification, manpower needs, productivity, scalability and relevant international standards (MPA, CFP).

The CFP also requires applicants to address cybersecurity standards for industrial automation and control systems. MPA's selected-project announcement says the trials will test safe and efficient operation alongside port activities, cost-effectiveness and environmental sustainability, with the goal of enabling larger-scale deployment. That goal is not the same as a completed commercial approval or a guarantee that every proposed technology will scale (MPA, selected hull-inspection and cleaning partners).

Funding, timing and application status

The selected partners will receive close to S$3.7 million in programme-level R&D co-funding from the MINT Fund. MPA said development and trials would commence in the second half of 2026 over 18 months. The original CFP was issued in November 2025 and is now closed; it was a project call, not an open-ended grant or automatic subsidy for any hull-cleaning company (MPA, selected hull-inspection and cleaning partners; MPA, CFP). The announced co-funding and duration describe the selected portfolio as a whole; they do not specify equal awards or identical milestones for each partner.