Introduction

The In Transit Cleaning System for Hulls (ITCH) is a proactive cleaning system for removing early stage marine fouling from the hull of a ship during transit. It is aimed to be used regularly by the ships crew to prevent build up of fouling on the hull and optimise hull performance.

The system consists of a cleaning Robot connected to a Winch that gradually releases the Robot while it swipes a brush up and down the side of the hull. The Robot uses hydrodynamic principles to attach and balance itself on the hull using the water flowing around the ship. A rudder on the Robot is used to move the unit up and down the hull depending on data measured by its onboard sensors. The Robot has an onboard camera which documents the cleaning performance and the condition of the hull.

The system can be configured to work on different areas of the ship using a computer application that wirelessly connects to the robot over Bluetooth. The application can also update the firmware on the Robot and download its sensor data to check that everything is working as it should post cleaning.

By using harder brushes or configuring the system to more thoroughly clean the hull, the ITCH can also remove established fouling.

Areas defined as niche areas, the propeller and flat bottom are today not accessible by the Robot.

The video below gives a brief introduction to how the system works: