A Hull Different Perspective
Welcome! I’m Karl Lander, the Director, Regulatory Compliance and Outreach at Armach Robotics. Armach has set out to provide shipowners an intelligent solution to biofouling management, using autonomous robots to frequently and gently remove biofilm and slime from the hull before it becomes a bigger and more costly issue.
A Hull Different Perspective will offer up routine insights, opinions and updates on Armach’s progress and activities as we advance and deliver this capability. My aim in writing this blog is to help raise awareness of the value of maintaining an always clean hull as well as bring many of the nuances and subtleties of the issue to the forefront in small pieces. More than a sound bite or headline, but less than a thesis. It might overlap with, or supplement, other material that Armach publishes throughout the year. I’m not concerned about that. I just want to share our challenges, successes (and failures) in an approachable way. I hope you find it informative and relevant, and maybe occasionally entertaining.
I take my work and Armach’s vision seriously, but I don’t take myself too seriously. In over 25 years in the marine industry, I’ve done a few things and seen a few more, which I think provide me with a unique perspective that I hope comes through in what I share.
I’m writing this from Tampa, where I am attending the first American Association of Port Authorities Port Opportunities with Energy, Resilience & Sustainability (POWERS) Summit and Expo. The event sold out, so props to the organizers. It’s a packed agenda, and it’s clear that the ports of the US are taking bold steps to move their industry forward. Ports large and small, initiatives of all sizes. It hasn’t all been relevant to me, and I know more about carbon capture than I did yesterday. And someday it might be important knowledge for me personally or professionally. But for now, I’ll set it aside and continue to engage with the ports on ensuring shipowners can receive preventative hull cleaning services, in an environmentally friendly manner, in US ports. The benefits are significant, both economically and environmentally, and the risks are low. In the words of our CEO, let’s Move The F@#$%^& Ball.