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maritime robotics

Automated wind propulsion gains momentum as Maersk Tankers expands suction sail rollout

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Maersk Tankers has completed the second installation in an ongoing rollout of automated wind-assisted propulsion systems across its medium-range tanker fleet, as shipping companies increasingly turn to hybrid automation and renewable energy technologies to reduce fuel consumption and emissions.

The latest installation saw four 24-meter automated suction sails fitted to the tanker Maersk Tahiti at Chengxi Shipyard in Jiangyin, China.

The systems were supplied by Spanish wind propulsion specialist bound4blue, which is deploying a total of 20 suction sails across five Maersk Tankers vessels under the companies’ current agreement. [Read more…] about Automated wind propulsion gains momentum as Maersk Tankers expands suction sail rollout

Bubble Robotics raises $5 million to build ‘the ocean’s autonomous workforce’

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Bubble Robotics, has announced a $5 million pre-seed round led by Episode 1 Ventures, Asterion Ventures, and Norrsken Evolve, following its launch out of Entrepreneurs First.

Founded in 2025 by former robotics engineers from NASA and ETH Zürich, Bubble is building the ocean’s autonomous workforce: a fleet of intelligent robotic systems capable of operating continuously at sea for months, without the need for human intervention. [Read more…] about Bubble Robotics raises $5 million to build ‘the ocean’s autonomous workforce’

Saildrone adds seabed imaging capability to autonomous Voyager ocean drones

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Saildrone, a specialist in autonomous ocean exploration, says it has successfully integrated and operated a sub-bottom profiler (SBP) on a Saildrone Voyager unmanned surface vehicle (USV).

The capability was first used in the Baltic Sea to monitor critical infrastructure and survey the seabed while supporting the Danish Ministry of Defence Acquisition and Logistics Organisation (DALO).

The Innomar Medium USV SBP is a parametric, high-resolution system designed to acquire full-waveform acoustic data that reveals the structure, layering, and composition of the seafloor and sub-seafloor. [Read more…] about Saildrone adds seabed imaging capability to autonomous Voyager ocean drones

Mirai Robotics raises $4.2 million to build autonomous and intelligent maritime systems to ‘master every sea’

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The sea is one of the most critical infrastructures on the planet. Over 80 percent of global trade moves by sea, more than 90 percent of Europe’s foreign trade depends on maritime routes, and around 95 percent of international internet traffic flows through subsea cables.

Today, the global blue economy is worth more than $2.5 trillion and, according to international estimates, is expected to exceed $4 trillion by 2030.

Despite its economic and geopolitical centrality, the maritime domain remains one of the most complex and least digitized environments in the world: high operational costs, limited continuous observability, significant exposure to risk, and a strong reliance on human operators. [Read more…] about Mirai Robotics raises $4.2 million to build autonomous and intelligent maritime systems to ‘master every sea’

NYK expands robotic hull-cleaning partnership with Neptune Robotics

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Traditional hull cleaning is labor-intensive, risky, and expensive. Human divers or remotely operated vehicles struggle with underwater conditions, strong currents, and the challenge of accessing every part of a large vessel’s hull.

That is the problem Japan’s NYK Line – one of the world’s largest shipping companies – is tackling through an expanded partnership with Hong Kong-based Neptune Robotics.

The two companies have signed a new Memorandum of Understanding to roll out Neptune’s AI-driven hull-cleaning robots across NYK’s global fleet of more than 820 vessels. [Read more…] about NYK expands robotic hull-cleaning partnership with Neptune Robotics