A UK maritime robotics startup led by a 22-year-old founder has raised more than £750,000 to develop autonomous robots designed to clean ships’ hulls, reduce fuel consumption and remove the need for hazardous underwater diving work.
Edinburgh-based ScrubMarine, founded by Rohith Devanathan while he was still a student, has secured the funding in a venture round led by SFC Capital and PXN Ventures. The investment will allow the company to complete its first commercial prototype, expand its engineering team in Whitehaven, grow its Edinburgh operations and move towards live trials with customers.
ScrubMarine is developing 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. Devanathan estimates biofouling adds more than $100 billion a year to global shipping costs.
“Biofouling is a hidden problem, but it’s a massive one,” he said. “It increases drag on the vessel, which increases fuel burn. That’s a huge cost for operators, and it’s also bad for the environment.”
Traditional hull cleaning often requires ships to be dry-docked or divers to work underwater alongside large vessels, a process that is costly and can be dangerous. “The diving issue isn’t just about cost,” Devanathan said. “It’s also a serious safety concern. Divers do lose their lives in incidents like these, and that’s why we’re building robots to take people away from that risk.”
The company’s first robot, known as the Turtle, is a lightweight autonomous system that clings to a ship’s hull and removes biofouling using cavitation technology. The process uses microscopic water bubbles that implode on the surface to dislodge debris without damaging the vessel’s protective coatings. The robot also captures inspection data in the same pass, allowing operators to assess hull condition at the same time as cleaning.
Unlike many existing systems, which can be the size and weight of a small car, the Turtle weighs less than 50 kilograms. That makes it easier to deploy without cranes or support divers, significantly lowering operational complexity and cost.
ScrubMarine is also developing a larger autonomous deployment vehicle, nicknamed the Whale, 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.
The company believes the technology could scale rapidly. Its business plan forecasts annual revenues of £56 million within five years, with applications across global shipping and marine energy markets.
Born in Chennai and raised in Edinburgh, Devanathan began building websites and small businesses as a teenager before enrolling on a robotics degree at Heriot-Watt University at the age of 17. He founded ScrubMarine in 2024 while studying robotics engineering, where he met co-founder Clyne Albertelli, who was researching robotic systems for maritime use.
The funding round was also backed by the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund, which supports early-stage companies across the north of England. Private investors include Graham Westgarth, former president of the UK Chamber of Shipping, and Colin Greene, a former Apple country chief executive.
With prototype development nearing completion, ScrubMarine is now preparing for its first commercial trials, as it looks to bring automation, cost savings and safer working practices to one of the shipping industry’s most persistent challenges.
