On 1 September 2026, BluFlow attended the TradeWinds Shipowners Forum Germany for the first time, joining shipowners, operators and maritime industry leaders in Hamburg.
The forum took place alongside SMM Hamburg, the major international maritime industry event running from 1 to 4 September 2026.
For BluFlow, the value of the trip was straightforward: direct conversations with the people deciding where maritime businesses should invest their time and capital.
And one message came through particularly clearly: Shipowners are ready to invest in solutions that save time, money or fuel.
The conversations in Hamburg reinforced something central to BluFlow’s approach. Maritime technology ultimately has to deliver a clear operational return.
Can it reduce fuel consumption? Can it shorten maintenance windows? Can it make an operation easier to plan? Can it give owners better information about their vessels and assets?
These questions apply across BluFlow’s growing portfolio of marine services.
- Robotic in water hull cleaning addresses fuel and vessel performance directly. Biofouling increases hydrodynamic drag and bunker consumption, while robotic cleaning allows the work to be carried out without dry docking or off hire. BluFlow reports that vessels can recover up to 15% of fuel consumption following biofouling removal, depending on the vessel and conditions.
- Underwater inspection and reporting gives operators structured evidence on vessel, offshore asset and port infrastructure condition, helping them make maintenance decisions with better information.
- Cargo hold cleaning supports turnaround between voyages by preparing holds to the standard required for the next cargo and verifying the result before sign off.
- Vessel tank cleaning addresses another time sensitive part of vessel operations. BluFlow cleans fuel, lube, cargo, slop and ballast tanks, combining the work with residue management, waste handling and documentation.
- BluFlow’s scope also extends beyond vessels. The company provides robotic cleaning and inspection for offshore operators, including FPSO, FSRU and semi-submersible assets, as well as underwater asset cleaning and inspection for ports and terminals across the GCC.
Different services address different operational problems, but the commercial logic is remarkably consistent: save time, control costs, reduce fuel consumption where applicable and keep assets performing.
The event has put energy efficiency and technologies that can improve real world vessel operations firmly on its 2026 agenda.
For BluFlow, the first TradeWinds Shipowners Forum was an opportunity to test its proposition directly with the market. The response reinforced a simple principle: shipowners will spend where they can see a practical operational benefit.
For Notable Investors, that was the most valuable takeaway from Hamburg. BluFlow is building around problems the industry is actively trying to solve, with services whose value can be measured in operational terms.
We are proud to back the team as it takes the relationships and conversations from Hamburg forward across the GCC.
And after a very productive first TradeWinds Shipowners Forum, BluFlow is looking forward to cleaning, inspecting and maintaining a lot more vessels and marine assets.
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