The Solution
A Leap Forward In Hull Care
A Managed Service
Efficiency Driven Hull Optimization
NAHO delivers a complete in water/at port efficiency driven hull optimization to vessel operators, seamlessly cleaning hulls, niches and specialty areas during normal port operations. It replaces the legacy cycle of taking vessels out of service, dry-docking and reactive cleanings with a managed service that keeps every hull in its optimal hydrodynamic state — continuously, predictably and at port.
Estimated savings from avoided off-service costs, saved fuel, reduced wear, and lowered environmental fees are in the $700,000 to $1,000,000 per vessel per year.
SUBSCRIPTION BASED HULL CARE
Higher frequency, superior efficiency
The NAHO model is based on frequent hull grooming managed through an annual service subscription. NAHO helps ensure that each hull is kept as efficient as possible — no quoting cycles, no scrambling for divers, no compliance gray zones. With a frequent grooming schedule the model allows for very high hydrodynamic efficiency levels (98%+).
Managed maintenance scheduling, reporting, and regulatory documentation are added benefits of the service model. Operators trade variable cleaning bills and unplanned fuel penalties for one transparent line item.
IN WATER/AT PORT SERVICE
Service during regular port operations
NAHO hull optimization is designed to take place in water/at port, during normal port calls and loading windows. This is made possible through the high operating speed of the cleaning system — working out to be 80% faster than current conventional systems. This translates into servicing an entire Panamax container ship (LOA 225m) in as little as eight hours. Vessels are not required to come out of service, are likely to require dry-docking far less frequently, and lose far fewer revenue days to maintenance, while actually improving overall awareness of the hull’s condition.
Because the Vacu‑Cart & Reclaim system captures 99% of debris and meets regulatory standards by a wide margin, in water cleaning is fully compliant — turning what used to be a regulatory risk into a routine port operation.
GROUNDBREAKING CLEANING TECHNOLOGY
The Vacu‑Cart & Reclaim System
Efficiency driven hull optimization is delivered through an intelligent semi-automated management framework, relieving vessel operators of 90% of the typical management burden of hull maintenance. The Vacu‑Cart & Reclaim system delivers critical mechanical cleaning functionality, with 99% of micro and macro fouling capture. The Vacu-Cart is the only machine that can remove macro fouling in water/at port.
The Vacu-Cart & Reclaim System is a diver operated platform that is approved by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to have a capture rate of 99% of biofouling debris in water/at port. The cleaning and capture surpasses the Industry Standard and Approval of Procedure of In water Cleaning, ensuring substantial cost savings, regulatory compliance, consistently high hull efficiency, and safe working conditions. NAHO has the exclusive rights to the system in North America.
How It Works
Three critical capabilities in one system
Clean
Diver-operated carts clean the entire hull — flat surfaces, curved areas, and niches — at 45m/min for macrofouling and 60m/min for microfouling, cutting service time by 80%+.
Capture
The system captures 99% of all biofouling debris during cleaning, preventing invasive species spread and meeting regulatory requirements by a wide margin.
Sterilize
All debris is brought ashore and 100% sterilized and killed with UV radiation before landfill disposal. IMO-approved filtration returns water cleaner than it came in. No chemicals used.
99%
Capture Rate
45 m/min
Macrofouling Speed
60 m/min
Microfouling Speed
Zero
Chemicals Used
Field Proven Worldwide
The Vacu-Cart & Reclaim technology is fully tested and operational. There are systems in daily service in South Africa, Brazil, Namibia and Mauritius, soon to be joined by systems in Northern Europe. NAHO expects a relatively fast build-out of the North American market, bringing next-generation hull optimization to more than 15,000 vessels in regular service in United States, Caribbean, Mexican and Canadian waters.
Divers supervise the entire hull optimization process — this is how the system delivers consistently superior results compared to robotic alternatives. The filtration system is IMO approved and returns water cleaner than it came in.
Comprehensive IMCO field testing from Durban, South Africa bears out every claim made for the system.
See It in Action
The Vacu‑Cart & Reclaim System
Hull Optimization
In-Water Cleaning & Capture
"Biofouling is no longer just a maintenance issue — it is a financial, regulatory, and environmental problem demanding a smarter solution."