China’s innovative robotic technology is making inroads into the international market. Recently, AKA Robotics successfully applied its WallHiker W-06 paint and rust removal cleaning robot in several major shipyards in Indonesia. This marks a significant shift towards automation, zero dust, and low-energy operation, offering a green robotic ship repair solution for Indonesian shipyards and paving the way for a new era of low-carbon transformation in the local shipbuilding and repair industry.

This overseas deployment is not a single-piece solution, but a comprehensive, integrated green robotic UHP hydroblasting system specifically designed for Indonesian shipyards. It addresses key challenges such as inadequate shipyard infrastructure, high risks associated with high-altitude work, strict environmental controls, and rising labor costs, enabling seamless and standardized implementation within the local context.

Local shipyards in Indonesia have traditionally relied on traditional sandblasting and rust removal methods for the maintenance and repair of tugboats, barges, and coastal cargo vessels. While this method has been established for many years, its drawbacks are becoming increasingly apparent, making it unsuitable for the demands of the modern shipbuilding industry.

Traditional sandblasting methods generate excessive dust, posing significant environmental and safety concerns, and making on-site management extremely challenging. Furthermore, continuous procurement, transportation, and disposal of abrasive materials contribute to high operational costs. The most significant drawback is the complete reliance on manual labor for hull cleaning, which is both physically demanding and carries a high safety risk. The subsequent disposal of large amounts of waste further reduces shipyard profits.

Due to increasingly strict Indonesian environmental regulations and rising labor costs, traditional, inefficient rust removal methods are no longer viable. Local shipyards urgently need a environmentally friendly, and highly automated alternative to address challenges such as inadequate infrastructure, complex hull work, non-compliance with environmental standards, and the inherent dangers of manual labor. The implementation of the “WallHiker W-06” robotic blasting system effectively fills this gap in the local shipbuilding maintenance industry.

Unlike standard outputs from general-purpose equipment, AKA Robotics conducted an in-depth survey of the shipyards in Indonesia to create a customized, integrated green ship blasting and cleaning solution. This solution significantly reduces the reliance on traditional equipment and its associated infrastructure.

The core operating system, featuring the WallHiker W-06 robot, utilizes a reliable magnetic attachment technology, ensuring a secure and independent operation against the ship’s exterior. This system completely replaces manual labor for high-altitude, high-pressure rust removal, effectively eliminating the risks of falls and injuries associated with such operations. This significantly reduces labor costs and safety risks in shipyards. Furthermore, the system includes a complete wastewater collection and treatment system, enabling a closed-loop system for wastewater, preventing any environmental discharge and fully complying with local environmental regulations. This ensures a truly green and compliant ship maintenance process.

The core challenge in ship rust removal is adapting to the complex curves of the ship’s hull. Main types of tugboats and barges in Indonesia have compact hull shapes, with varying curves in the bow, stern, and bottom. They also have numerous welds, indentations, and uneven surfaces, making it difficult for standard automated equipment to fully cover the work. These machines can only be used as temporary demonstration tools and are not suitable for regular production.

The WallHiker W-06 features a flexible, adaptive body structure that can autonomously adjust its working posture in real-time to match the contours and irregularities of the ship’s hull, effectively handling a wide range of complex ship types. Its superior adaptability and consistent performance have successfully integrated the device into the standard ship maintenance processes of Indonesian shipyards, overcoming the common challenge of “good-looking but useless” for automated equipment.

As the cornerstone of our international expansion, our core product has obtained the CE certification. The company also holds three prestigious ISO certifications, demonstrating a robust and comprehensive system for product quality, environmental protection, and safety. This ensures full compliance with the requirements for operating in international markets.

Unlike standardized equipment exports, AKA Robotics focuses on localized implementation services. The recent Indonesia project involved not only delivering core intelligent equipment, but also providing a complete, integrated solution and implementation services. This includes everything from equipment installation, water and power source adaptation, on-site debugging, to process implementation. AKA Robotics provides a one-stop solution, enabling Chinese intelligent manufacturing to be truly adapted to overseas local environments and to solve the actual problems faced by clients.

The successful implementation of the Indonesian project has provided a replicable and implementable green ship blasting and cleaning technology for shipyards in Southeast Asia, which face urgent needs for infrastructure development and environmental upgrades. This technology, moving from traditional, high-pollution sandblasting to automated, low-carbon high-pressure water blasting rust removal, is helping the global shipbuilding industry achieve a green, safe, and efficient transformation.

In the future, AKA Robotics will continue to focus on the global ship maintenance and repair industry, constantly optimizing equipment performance and adaptability to various scenarios, and developing intelligent and environmentally friendly solutions tailored to the specific conditions in different regions. This will enable Chinese ship manufacturing technology to go global and contribute to the green upgrade of the global shipping industry.