Biofilm forms on vessel hulls within hours and grows into slime and macrofouling that raises drag, fuel burn, emissions, and invasive-species risk. Owners and operators of tankers, container ships, bulk carriers, gas carriers, naval vessels, and cruise ships pay to hold hull performance without interrupting voyages. NAKAI deploys its PLECOS robots from a lightweight berth station on a bi-weekly cadence, using magnetic adherence, AI imaging, a digital hull twin, silicone brushes, and suction capture with fine filtration, followed by a hull-condition and compliance report.
Unlike Jotun HullSkater, an onboard unit tied to its own coating, NAKAI works with any existing antifouling coating with no retrofit, class change, or special energy need. Unlike diver or high-pressure water-jet cleaning, its closed-loop system retains captured material for compliant in-port operation, and unlike reactive drydock cycles, continuous grooming with logged data supports predictive maintenance planning.
