Neptune Robotics has announced a US$12 million investment in a new manufacturing and research and development (R&D) facility in Singapore, as part of a plan to increase its autonomous ship hull cleaning capacity five-fold and reach 60 daily cleanings by 2027.
The investment follows a US$52 million Series B funding round completed in September 2025. The new facility will focus on advancing the company’s computer vision and machine learning capabilities, allowing robots to operate 24 hours a day in conditions such as low-visibility water and currents of up to four knots.
“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 Chief Executive Officer 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.”
The robotic system developed by Neptune removes biofouling, the buildup of marine growth on hulls, without damaging hull coatings. Since entering the Singapore market in 2024, the company has expanded its network to cover 61 ports across Singapore and China.
