BACKGROUND

The maritime industry is entering an era of increased technological complexity, with vessels incorporating advanced propulsion systems, alternative fuels, and increasingly intricate machinery. Despite these advancements, maritime personnel (e.g. seafarers, surveyors, and inspectors) are still required to perform routine inspections, surveys and maintenance in physically challenging and hazardous environments. These tasks often involve entering confined, difficult to access, poorly ventilated compartments—such as ballast tanks, fuel storage areas, cargo hold areas, or engine rooms—where exposure to toxic gases, fire risks, and structural weaknesses pose serious safety threats.

While vessel automation and smart technologies are growing in adoption, the physical inspection of onboard systems remains largely manual, creating a critical gap in seafarer safety. This is especially pressing as vessels age, operational complexity increases, and regulatory scrutiny around onboard safety intensifies.

SIGNIFICANCE OF PROBLEM

Several key challenges highlight the urgent need to remove maritime personnel from dangerous inspection environments: 

• Confined Space Entry Risks: Spaces like ballast tanks, fuel compartments, or cargo holds are difficult to access and may contain residual toxic gases, low oxygen levels, or flammable vapours. Complex ship geometries are challenging for mainstream robotics solutions (e.g. stiffeners, brackets, and enclosed spaces).
• Fire and Explosion Hazards: Inspections in compartments near fuel systems or electrical equipment pose ignition risks, especially when equipment is energized or improperly sealed. 
• Structural Failures: Older vessels with poorly maintained bulkheads, hull and compartments can have weakened structures posing collapse risks or ladder-fall risks during manual inspection.
• Work Nature and Emergency Response Limitations: Crew often perform inspections alone or in pairs with minimal oversight, making emergency interventions challenging in case of accidents. In certain cases, remote inspection results are still not accepted by some organisations.

The continuation of manual inspection practices puts human lives at stake, particularly in scenarios that can be effectively addressed through automation and robotics. Information is often fragmented and siloed, due to operational and commercial considerations across companies.

POTENTIAL MARKET SIZE

The focus on crew safety and inspection automation aligns with significant market demand: 

• Global Maritime Robotics Market is projected to reach US$20.5 billion by 2033, with inspection and maintenance automation being a key growth driver.
• Crew Safety Solutions are increasingly prioritized by classification societies, ship operators, offshore vessel owners, shipyards, port state, flag state and insurers, opening pathways for dedicated funding, regulatory incentives, and rapid tech adoption.
• Under IMO regulations, annual inspection by surveyors is required for over 50,000 merchant ships operating internationally.
• Smart Port Nations like Singapore and Norway are investing in smart and autonomous shipping technologies, with safety as a primary justification for funding.

EXISTING EFFORTS

Several industry efforts have laid the groundwork for robotic and AI-enabled inspection systems: 

• Robotic Confined Space Inspections: Companies are trialing crawlers and drones for tank inspections, reducing human entry.
• Maritime Drones: Drones with thermal imaging and gas detection are being tested to inspect bulkheads, cargo holds, and fuel tanks. 
• AI Condition Assessment: AI-powered computer vision and machine learning tools are being integrated with onboard cameras to analyse corrosion, cracks, or deformation in real-time. 
• IMO MASS Initiatives: The International Maritime Organization is developing regulatory frameworks to enable safe automation and reduce human exposure to high-risk scenarios.
• Existing robots still struggle with magnetic adhesion on coated or corroded surfaces, resulting in limited accessibility, requiring more robust solutions for such environments.