Safetytech Accelerator has teamed up with Cargill, a global provider of food, agricultural, financial and industrial products, as part of a collaboration to pilot technology solutions for robotic hull cleaning and ship digitalisation.

Alicia Bots and eyeGauge, part of the Safetytech Accelerator Waypoint 3 programme focusing on maritime risk, have been selected to take part in the pilot.

Alicia Bots delivers a solution to the maritime industry by offering multipurpose robots designed for accomplishing high risk maritime tasks, such as hull cleaning and inspections.

eyeGauge aims to make the digital transformation process easier and more accessible for all maritime industry players. They propose a simple, non-invasive ship digitalization solution that   creates a unified data platform of all onboard machinery and equipment irrespective of age or manufacturer, thus providing ship owners, operators and managers the live data to make better decisions in fleet operation, emissions reduction and environmental compliance in real-time.

Whilst the deployment of Alicia Bots’ automated hull-cleaning robot – allowing for cleaning operations with ships underway – benefits vessels’ consumption and ESG profile, the specific impact of the improvements will be monitored by the live data feed harvested through the eyeGauge computer vision and AI algorithm. eyeGauge will also enable Cargill to benefit from live and accurate vessel performance monitoring, shifting away the reliance from the subjective and discrete noon reports.

Chris Hughes, Decarbonisation Specialist at Cargill said, “Data quality and hull condition management are areas that we are focussed on right now, and through the Waypoint Programme, Safetytech Accelerator have brought forward two promising technology solutions that we are excited to be trialling.”

Gabriele Dado, Commercial Director at Safetytech Accelerator commented, “We are delighted to be able to announce our cooperation with Cargill, in what should be an interesting step forward for the industry in terms of digitalisation and emission reduction technology.

In doing so, we also deliver on our shared ambition to create a safer working environment not only on board but also for those who work around ships. It should be a positive development for diver safety, whilst benefitting both vessels’ ESG profile and commercial operations.”

This work complements several other Safetytech Accelerator workstreams exploring the use of technology for improving safety and minimising risk in industry:

Safetytech Accelerator’s latest acceleration programme, Waypoint 4: Nearshore

A pilot to test whether computer vision can help improve safety when working at height

How technology can help fight fires on container ships