Carnival Pride Gets Jotun HullSkater as Cruise Industry Tests Proactive Hull Cleaning

Carnival Cruise Line has put Jotun’s Hull Skating Solutions aboard Carnival Pride, making the Spirit-class ship the first vessel in Carnival’s fleet to use the system and, according to industry reporting, the first cruise-sector implementation of Jotun’s full proactive hull-cleaning package. The pilot centers on an onboard HullSkater, a remotely operated robotic vehicle that travels across the underwater hull using cameras and sensors to inspect the surface and remove early marine growth before it becomes heavier fouling. The agreement extends beyond the robot itself, combining the HullSkater with a compatible hull coating, continuous condition monitoring, hull inspections, digital performance reporting and Jotun’s “always clean hull” framework. Carnival is collecting operational data aboard Carnival Pride as it evaluates the system. The cruise line says marine growth can increase propulsion power demand by as much as 25% to 30%, while propulsion represents roughly 60% of a cruise ship’s total energy consumption. Jotun also enters the Carnival trial with recent DNV verification of HSS vessels showing no measurable speed loss during the reviewed operating periods, although those results should not be read as a measured Carnival Pride fuel-saving figure.