NautiSpecial shows that innovation and sustainability can also live in the daily care of vessels

When people talk about innovation in the nautical sector, the first thought is usually marine electronics, artificial intelligence, new propulsion systems, sensors or automation.

But the transformation of the Ocean Economy is also happening in apparently simpler products, present every day in marinas, shipyards and on board vessels. Cleaning and nautical care is one of them.

Celebrating 30 years of history in 2026, Brazil’s NautiSpecial has just presented a novelty that draws attention precisely for combining product innovation and sustainability: Lava Lancha Natural.

According to the company, the new formulation was developed with 99% naturally sourced actives, produced from raw materials derived from Brazilian flora and without petrochemicals.

More than a new cleaning product, the launch points to an important transformation in the nautical chain: finding alternatives able to maintain efficiency and performance while reducing the impacts associated with the daily operation of vessels.

Thirty years developing products for boating

NautiSpecial’s story began in 1996, focused on developing specific products for cleaning and preserving vessels. Over the past three decades, the company widened its portfolio to serve different segments, including motorboats, sailing yachts, jets and marinas.

Sustainability also came to occupy growing space in that development. The company presents itself as a Brazilian firm dedicated to creating biodegradable and neutral products, progressively increasing the use of plant-based raw materials and incorporating principles related to the circular economy.

The launch of Lava Lancha Natural represents another step along that path.

What changes in a natural boat wash

The differentiator presented by NautiSpecial lies mainly in the formulation. In products used directly on vessels, in marinas and in environments close to the water, the choice of raw materials takes on even greater importance.

Lava Lancha Natural reaches the market with a concentrated formulation and, according to the manufacturer, composed of 99% naturally sourced actives, without petrochemicals.

In practice, the proposal is to offer a solution that keeps the efficiency needed for the vessel’s cleaning routine, but with a composition designed to reduce environmental impacts.

This discussion gains relevance because washing vessels is a frequent activity. Crew, maintenance teams, shipyard professionals, marinas and owners are in constant contact with products intended to remove salt, dirt, residues and staining that build up on surfaces.

Innovation therefore also means rethinking what is used repeatedly throughout the entire service life of a vessel.

Sustainability is technology too

There is a common perception that technology must necessarily involve electronics, software or sophisticated equipment. But innovation also happens inside a chemistry laboratory.

It is in the choice of actives, in the research into new raw materials, in the concentration, in biodegradability, in application efficiency, in safety for whoever uses the product, and in the search for formulations able to do their job using components of lower environmental impact.

That is exactly why products like Lava Lancha Natural also find space within Blue Tech Radar.

The sustainable transformation of the Ocean Economy will not happen only through large projects. It will also depend on hundreds of small decisions built into the routine of companies, marinas, shipyards, operators and vessel owners.

The impact goes beyond the hull

There is another important aspect. Nautical cleaning products do not only affect the preservation of the vessel. They are part of an activity frequently carried out in environments directly connected to the water.

Marinas, dry stacks, piers, shipyards and clubs are installed precisely where land and water meet. Thinking about the impact of the products used in these places is therefore also thinking about rivers, bays, lagoons, mangroves and oceans.

The greater the progress in using naturally sourced raw materials, biodegradable products and lower-impact formulations, the greater the nautical chain’s contribution to a more environmentally responsible operation can be.

A trend that should reach the whole chain

The change is not restricted to cleaning. The search for more sustainable solutions is already appearing in different areas of the nautical industry.

New materials, resins, paints, coatings, batteries, propulsion systems, maintenance products, packaging and industrial processes are being rethought in different markets around the world.

This shows that the transition to a more sustainable Ocean Economy does not depend on a single great technology. It will be the result of transforming an entire supply chain. And that includes everything from what moves a vessel to what is used to clean it after sailing.

30 years and a new step

Reaching 30 years is an important milestone for any company. For NautiSpecial, the celebration comes alongside a product that points to the company’s future and to a trend that should gain increasing importance within the sector.

Lava Lancha Natural shows that it is possible to put performance, technological development and environmental responsibility into the same equation.

It is an apparently simple innovation when compared with large onboard systems. But that is precisely where its importance lies, because the environmental impact of the Ocean Economy is also in the sum of thousands of small operations carried out every day.

Innovation is also in the details

Blue Tech Radar, from Blue Nautical Hub Brasil, follows technologies, products and solutions that are transforming the Ocean Economy in Brazil and worldwide. One of the messages this series intends to make clear is that innovation does not have only one form.

It can be an autonomous drone. It can be artificial intelligence inside a vessel. It can be an electronic control. It can be a device able to locate a person at sea. And it can also be a cleaning product developed to reduce impacts on the environment where all that equipment will be used.

NautiSpecial’s launch represents exactly this other dimension of innovation. Because taking better care of vessels can also mean taking better care of the sea.

And preserving the sea often begins with the choices we make while still ashore.

Blue Nautical Hub Brasil feature, with information from NautiSpecial. Image: NautiSpecial.