AN EDINBURGH-BASED robotics startup has secured around £800,000 to build autonomous ship scrubbing robots.
ScrubMarine develops autonomous hull-cleaning and inspection robots that target biofouling, the build-up of algae, barnacles and slime on ships’ hulls.
This growth increases drag, driving up fuel consumption and emissions.
Based in the Lake District and now in Edinburgh, the company was founded by Rohith Devanathan while he was still a student.
Biofouling on the hull of a ship. Credit: Wikimedia Commons
He said: “Our robots are able to perform their purpose on anything steel.
“This includes ships, sub-sea cabling, oil and gas infrastructure, but also above sea infrastructure such as bridges.”
The company has secured funding of just under £1m through venture capital and angel investments since it was founded at the end of 2023.
Private investors include Graham Westgarth, former president of the UK Chamber of Shipping, and Colin Greene, a former Apple country chief executive.
The funding round was also backed by the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund, which supports early-stage companies across the north of England.
ScrubMarine is developing two different machines.
The first is the Turtle, a lightweight autonomous system that clings to a ship’s hull and removes biofouling using cavitation technology.
A larger unit, nicknamed the Whale, is designed to transport multiple Turtle units to offshore vessels and retrieve them without the need for crewed boats or port infrastructure.
The system is intended to serve ships operating offshore, including in sectors such as offshore wind, oil and gas and superyachts.
Born in Chennai and raised in Edinburgh, Devanathan completed a robotics degree at Heriot-Watt University.
Having grown up in Leith and lived on McDonald Road, he was keen to grow the company’s Edinburgh operations.
It was at university that Devanathan met co-founder Clyne Albertelli, who was researching robotic systems for maritime use.
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