Neptune Robotics (Neptune), an AI-powered robotic hull cleaning services with a presence in 61 ports across Singapore and China, announced a major manufacturing and R&D expansion in Singapore as part of its continuing ambition to tackle biofouling, one of the shipping industry's costliest issues with significant environmental impact.

On the back of a US$52 million Series B round led by Granite Asia in September 2025, the new facility will accelerate Neptune's mission to slash maritime carbon emissions and fuel wastage through automated hull maintenance.

"Our investment in Singapore is a strategic milestone that will enhance our service provision to clients and position us to meet their current and future needs," said Elizabeth Chan, co-founder and CEO of Neptune Robotics.

"With operators facing mounting fuel cost and emissions pressures, we're scaling autonomous hull cleaning to help mitigate these issues and empower our clients to run more sustainable shipping operations."

A growing number of shipowners are realizing the benefits of Neptune’s solutions. Biofouling — the buildup of marine growth on hulls — can increase ship greenhouse gas emissions by up to 25-30% depending on vessel characteristics and conditions. Neptune’s AI robots remove this growth without damaging hull coatings, providing an immediate ROI for shipowners facing volatile energy markets and evolving sustainability regulations.

Neptune said the new facility will bring a number of benefits including increased capacity and advancing AI and robotics. 

By the end of 2026, Neptune will increase its local autonomous cleaning capacity by 400% with plans to reach 60 daily hulls by 2027.

The new facilities in Singapore will also house dedicated R&D operations to advance the company's proprietary computer vision and machine learning capabilities. This will ensure robots can operate 24/7 in challenging conditions including extreme weather, strong currents and low-visibility water.

Neptune has expanded its AI‑based hull‑cleaning network to 61 ports across Singapore and China, giving it coverage of about 70% of Asia's main shipping lanes and more than half of global merchant port calls.

Since entering the Singapore market in 2024, Neptune has seen significant growth even as the local competitive landscape has thinned.

It noted that by automating the hull cleaning process, Neptune eliminates the need for human divers in dangerous environments while ensuring vessels remain fuel efficient at sea.