NCMS Member Company heads to Portugal to Attend Prestigious Incubator

It’s important to de-paint and de-grease ships on a regular basis. It’s a labor-intensive and hazardous process. But NCMS member SurClean’s laser ablation technology has garnered a lot of attention from both military and commercial shipyards for their innovative coating removal and surface preparation system offering many benefits that other solutions can’t.

Susan Sprentall, SurClean’s president and CEO, will be heading across the pond to get her company positioned to take Europe by storm at the Bluetech Accelerator, a start-up incubator housed in Lisbon, Portugal. This event focuses on disruptive technologies to the port and shipping industries. “I found this opportunity online,” says Sprentall. “It fell right in line with our industry focus. I was one of 600 applicants, one of 100 interviews and now one of 25 companies that have been invited to participate. SurClean is the only laser ablation company accepted.”

The event takes place at the end of June and prides itself on providing tangible solutions and partnerships to address industry pain points. Sprentall and team will participate in one-on-one meetings with industry leaders, workshops and mentoring sessions, pitch and networking opportunities. Program partner companies come from all over Europe, but start-up companies are coming in from all over the world. At the end of the Bluetech Accelerator Bootcamp, program partners will choose the start-up companies they wish to team within three-month pilot programs.

“I have networked with the Department of Defense and commercial maritime industry on lessons learned from the automotive industry. I wrote a white paper on automating laser de-painting for shipping companies and with support from a private shipyard and maritime paint provider. We documented the value-add with an ROI exceeding 92%. Our next project will use robotics and address difficult spaces like ballast tanks that need to be cleaned to remove the rust and corrosion build up. This technology could be a critical game changer for these large commercial shipping companies,” said Sprentall.

NCMS is thrilled and congratulates member company SurClean for receiving this exciting opportunity!