Mauritius is one of 12 countries at the forefront of the International Marine Organisation’s GloFouling project created to implement guidelines for the control of the transfer of invasive marine species on vessel hulls.
Speaking at an event in partnership with Indian Ocean diving company, Immersub, to introduce the ROV, HullWiper managing director Simon Doran said that the harmful effects of foreign aquatic organisms can no longer be ignored.
“These species hitch a ride by clinging to the submerged areas of ship hulls,” he said.
HullWiper believes that its ROV addresses this issue. The system uses adjustable pressure seawater jets to remove fouling, minimising the risk of damage to expensive anti-fouling coatings. No divers are used so there is no risk to human life and cleaning can be conducted in almost all conditions. An onboard filter collects residues for locally-approved disposal reducing the risk of cross-pollination.
“At HullWiper we consider ourselves to be environmental activists. We believe that this supports MPA and the implementation of its Green Port Concept,” concluded Mr Doran.