Industry

Marine

Hull fouling can increase fuel consumption and maintenance demand. We provide mobile hull, deck, and component cleaning across NY Harbor, the Jersey Shore, the Hudson, and the Delaware, without introducing grit-blast media or chemical stripper to the work area.

For New Jersey projects, review our Jersey Shore and North Jersey service areas.

The Challenge

Hull fouling is a direct fuel cost. A 2025 ScienceDirect study of 52,636 vessels across six ship types found that moderate fouling increases annual fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions by an average of 20-30%. The IMO GloFouling research program documents up to 22% fuel savings from proactive hull cleaning. Every day a fouled hull stays in the water costs money.
Traditional hull cleaning methods create their own problems. Sandblasting in dry dock generates spent abrasive media contaminated with anti-fouling paint (often copper or tin-based), which requires hazardous waste disposal. Underwater abrasive cleaning discharges blast media and paint particles into the waterway, triggering EPA and Coast Guard discharge violations in regulated harbors like NY/NJ.
Chemical hull strippers work on paint but create toxic liquid waste, require extended dwell time (hours to days), and leave solvent residue that interferes with new coating adhesion. On fiberglass hulls, aggressive chemicals can attack the gelcoat and delaminate the substrate.

Laser cleaning adds no blast media or chemical stripper to the work area. Suitable fouling and coatings can be removed after testing establishes parameters and confirms the acceptable response of fiberglass, aluminum, steel, or existing finishes.

Applications

USE CASE 01

Hull Cleaning

Remove suitable marine growth, anti-fouling coatings, and corrosion from fiberglass, steel, and aluminum components. Surface testing is used to select parameters and reduce substrate impact. The dry process avoids process-water discharge and can be performed in dry-dock or on trailered vessels with site-specific controls.

USE CASE 02

Engine and Drive Restoration

Clean engine blocks, manifolds, exhaust systems, outdrives, and steering components without disassembly. Precision vaporization of oil, carbon, salt deposits, and rust. Preserve casting marks and serial numbers for documentation.
USE CASE 03

Deck and Topside Prep

Strip suitable non-skid coatings, oxidized gelcoat, and hardware corrosion, and prepare decks for recoating without abrasive-media residue. Applications may include fiberglass, aluminum, teak, and painted steel after testing. Targeted operation can reduce masking requirements around adjacent surfaces.

Fuel savings from clean hull (IMO)
0 %
Faster than sandblasting
0 x
Waterway discharge
$ 0
Substrate damage to fiberglass
0

"Mobile hull, deck, and component laser cleaning without adding abrasive blast media to the work area or water. Blast-media recovery tarps are not needed; marina rules, laser safety controls, and contaminant-specific capture or containment still apply."

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes. Fiberglass reflects the laser wavelength while marine growth, paint, and oxidation absorb it. The fouling vaporizes and the gelcoat remains intact. This is the primary advantage over sandblasting, which pits and erodes fiberglass with every pass.
Laser cleaning adds no blast media or chemical rinse water to the work area. Source capture and HEPA filtration are used to control airborne emissions and removed material. Work over or near water still requires project-specific containment, debris prevention, permits, and compliance review under the applicable environmental, harbor, and facility requirements.
A 35-foot recreational hull typically takes 4-8 hours depending on fouling severity and coating layers. Compare that to 12-20 hours for sandblasting plus containment setup and cleanup. For commercial vessels, we price by the linear foot and provide fixed-price estimates after a site inspection.
Yes. Our maintenance contracts provide quarterly or seasonal hull cleaning at locked-in rates. Scheduled cleaning prevents heavy fouling buildup, reduces the time per cleaning session, and maintains the fuel-efficiency benefit continuously rather than once a year at haul-out.

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