US Patent 7905192 Integrated underwater surface cleaning and effluent treatment system

A method and apparatus for the cleaning of an underwater surface, such as a ship hull. The method and apparatus enables cleaning to be conducted while mitigating the release of removed material into surrounding waters. The integrated apparatus includes a cleaning vehicle for removing fouling from the underwater hull surface, and a land treatment unit for treating liquid waste that is conveyed to the land treatment unit from the cleaning vehicle. The cleaning vehicle may include a pre-processing unit that pre-treats substances removed during the cleaning process.