Japan’s Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYK Line) and vessel cleaning firm Neptune Robotics have signed the memorandum of understanding, which expands their partnership to accelerate fuel efficiency and decarbonisation across NYK’s global fleet.
NYK has worked with Neptune since 2022, making it one of the earliest adopters of the company’s robotic hull cleaning.
Neptune’s robots delivered up to 10x fuel savings compared to cleaning costs, with significant reductions in fuel use and emissions.
The expanded partnership will now scale robotic cleaning across NYK’s global fleet, expected to generate even greater fuel savings and carbon reductions each year in the second deployment phase. As part of this push, NYK also joined Neptune’s $52m Series B funding round led by Granite Asia.
Unlike diver-based or conventional ROV methods, Neptune’s AI-powered robots clean a full draft capesize vessel 3-5 times faster, automatically, safely, above and below water, and even in currents up to four knots, triple the counter-current capability of human divers. Their robots operate day and night in clear and murky waters while protecting hull coatings .
“Through this partnership, we aim to create future business opportunities by combining our strengths. We hope to contribute to decarbonization not only across our fleet but also within the broader shipping sector,” said Hidehiko Sato, general manager of the ship business group at NYK.