Underwater robotics for regulation-driven infrastructure inspection
Smelcom Robotics builds the PROMETEY ecosystem: tethered underwater vehicles, computer-vision software, service and operator training. The flagship vehicle is already in industrial service on critical-infrastructure sites. We are open to conversations with investors.
Why demand is resilient
Four pillars of the thesis
Regulation-driven demand
Pipeline surveys are mandatory under RD 51-3-96, dam monitoring under Federal Law 117. Demand does not track client capex cycles.
Domestic platform
Western vendors are sanctioned, Chinese ones restricted on critical infrastructure. A fully domestic platform with AI software.
Replacing divers
Today these works are done by divers. Growth comes from replacement, not from displacing other vendors.
Recurring service
Long-term value shifts to diagnostics-as-a-service and monitoring: a vehicle keeps earning after the sale.
Market
The Russian underwater inspection market is estimated at RUB 9-13bn in 2026, growing to RUB 14-20bn by 2030. We build it bottom-up: the stock of supervised facilities, the statutory inspection frequency and the average contract value, plus the new recurring demand for vessel inspection. This is our own estimate - no public statistics exist for the inspection class in Russia.
What the estimate rests on
The stock of facilities that must be inspected by law. Rostechnadzor and federal maritime agency data
What the market is made of
Ten segments: the stock of facilities and inspection frequency from current regulations
| Segment | Facilities | Frequency | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vessel inspection in ports | ~25k foreign port calls a year | on demand at each call | Decree 502, Resolution 1867 |
| Ports and quay structures | 67 ports, 148k m of berth frontage | every 5 years | FZ-117, GOST R 54523-2011 |
| Hydropower and hydraulic structures | 25.8k supervised structures, 479 energy complexes | every 5 years, mandatory for 25+ year facilities | FZ-117, Order 151, GOST R 70750-2023 |
| Navigable hydraulic structures | 723 facilities: locks, canals, dams | every 5 years | FZ-117, Rostechnadzor rules |
| Underwater pipeline crossings | over 2k trunk pipeline crossings (gas and oil) | every 3 years (navigable), field lines annually | RD 51-3-96, STO Gazprom 2-3.5-454-2010 |
| Bridge piers | 42k bridges, 30.5k on the railway network | every 10 years for underwater piers | Transport Ministry Order 199, SP 79.13330.2012 |
| Cables and communication lines | coastal route sections, cable crossings | per owner's rules and on incidents | line owner's regulations |
| Aquaculture | 4,491 fish-farming plots, over 2k farms | operational monitoring | farm operating requirements |
| Training and simulators | ROV operators: universities, training centres, operators | continuous training flow | IMCA recommendations, professional training programmes |
| Service, spares and subscription | tied to the fleet: 263 units by 2030 | annually per unit | manufacturer maintenance schedule |
The market estimate is the sum of these segments across equipment and services. Two grow faster than the rest: vessel inspection, where demand recurs at every call, and operator training, where supply still lags demand.
Market structure
How the RUB 9-13bn estimate splits across segments
- Vessel inspection30%
- Ports and quays15%
- Hydropower and dams15%
- Pipeline crossings12%
- Bridge piers10%
- Navigable structures5%
- Cables and comms4%
- Aquaculture3%
- Training3%
- Other and emergency3%
Shares are midpoints of our own bottom-up ranges, not external statistics: no public segment breakdown of the Russian underwater inspection market exists. The largest segment - vessel inspection - emerged in late 2025 and is growing from zero.
What creates the demand
Current regulations and documented facts, not growth expectations
Mandatory underwater hull inspection of vessels
Presidential Decree 502 (21.07.2025) and Government Resolution 1867 (25.11.2025) require underwater hull inspection of vessels arriving from foreign ports. Terminal operators organise and pay for it. The rules explicitly allow divers and/or technical means.
Recurring demand instead of one-off projects
Diver shortage and cost of work
An underwater hull inspection averages about RUB 300k, reaching RUB 1m in some ports. Qualified divers are scarce, especially in the Far East. In ice conditions diver inspection is sometimes technically impossible.
The vehicle works where a diver is unavailable or unsafe
Regular inspections of hydraulic structures
Federal Law 117-FZ and Rostechnadzor rules (Order 151, 08.05.2024) require regular inspections of hydraulic structures; since September 2025 they are mandatory for facilities older than 25 years. Scheduled inspection every 5 years.
Demand set by law, not by budget mood
Infrastructure wear
A large share of marine hydraulic structures is at the edge of its service life; industry estimates put wear of berths and port equipment as high as 80%.
Both frequency and depth of inspections grow
Import substitution and the national regime
Before 2022 the market was mostly imports. Foreign vehicles of this class are unavailable or restricted at critical-infrastructure sites. Since 2025 public procurement applies a national regime with minimum quotas for Russian goods; the Resolution 719 registry grants preferences.
A domestic vehicle gains an edge in procurement
Who is entering the market
Competition is intensifying in 2026 - we show it plainly
TurtleROV2
ЭлмиксInspection ROV, 400 m depth, serial production launched.
ТНПА на базе разработок СевГУ
РобоКорпRights acquired from Sevastopol State University, sales announced for 2026, targeting port-inspection service companies.
Единая платформа роботов
ГеосканIn April 2026 announced a concept uniting aerial, ground and underwater vehicles on a shared technology base.
Центр морской робототехники
ОСК (ЦКБ Рубин)A dedicated design and testing centre for unmanned vehicles; the state shipbuilding corporation actively promotes marine robotics.
We do not quote prices for new entrants: no public price lists exist, and inventing them for comparison would be wrong. We measure our edge by depth, weight, service availability and cost of ownership.
Positioning map
PROMETEY-M holds a niche with no direct analogue: world-class depth and engineering on a domestic platform at an accessible price
| Vehicle | Vendor | Country | Depth | Price, RUB m |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ТНПА Х1 | РобоКорп | РФ | 200 м | 4,42 |
| ТНПА Х1М | РобоКорп | РФ | 200 м | 4,64 |
| Марлин-350 | Тетис Про | РФ | 350 м | 13,42 |
| «Прометей-М» | Смелком Роботикс | РФ | 300 м | 4,5 |
| Chasing M2 Pro Max | Chasing | Китай· limited service | 200 м | 1,2 |
| Boxfish Alpha | Boxfish | Н. Зеландия· n/a in RU | 300 м | 4,5 |
| Boxfish ROV | Boxfish | Н. Зеландия· n/a in RU | 1000 м | 6,5 |
Foreign vehicles are a technology reference. Boxfish is unavailable in Russia due to sanctions. Chasing is available, but its service and parts come from China. Their price here is a realistic turnkey cost for a Russian buyer - with payload, duties, VAT and logistics, not the bare list price.
PROMETEY-M vs alternatives
The only vehicle that meets every buyer requirement at once
PROMETEY-M meets all seven key requirements. The closest competitor meets only three. No other vehicle on the market combines availability, depth, AI and in-country service at once.
| Criterion | PROMETEY-M | Domestic | Boxfish | Chasing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Available in Russia, no sanction risk | ||||
| 300 m working depth | ||||
| Under 25 kg, two-person deploy | ||||
| Fault-tolerant drive | ||||
| AI defect detection | ||||
| Service & parts in Russia | ||||
| Cleared for critical infrastructure | ||||
| Turnkey price, RUB m | 4,5 | 4,4-13 | 6,5+ | 1,2 |
PROMETEY-M is the only one here that meets every requirement at once: availability in Russia, depth, AI, in-country service and critical-infrastructure clearance. Boxfish leads on some specs but is unavailable and pricier. Chasing is cheaper but a different class, serviced from China.
Our benchmarks
World leaders that set the engineering and price bar
Boxfish ROV
BoxfishThe world benchmark in observation class - and our engineering reference. PROMETEY-M matches the essentials: eight vectored thrusters, fault-tolerant drive, two-person deployment. Yet it is available in Russia and costs a fraction turnkey.
Chasing M2 Pro Max
ChasingA mass-market Chinese unit with an industrial look: 8 kg, 200 m. Available in Russia and cheap, but service and parts come from China - lead times and logistics are harder. Not up to critical infrastructure, depth or serious payloads.
PROMETEY-M has closed in on Boxfish-level engineering - 300 m, 21 kg, fault-tolerant drive, two-person deployment - on a domestic platform, with AI software and at half the import price. That is our position: world-class engineering without import dependency.
What the investor materials contain
Materials open step by step, as we get to know each other
This page
- -What the company does
- -Market analysis, regulations, segments
- -Competitors and positioning
Investor overview
- -The project and the investment thesis
- -Round structure and terms
- -Traction, customers, product line-up
Full pack
- -Five-year financial model
- -Data room: risks, assumptions, documents
- -A walk through the numbers with the founder
Request access to the materials
The founder reads every request. Once we reply, we send a login to the investor area with the project and deal overview. You can also write directly: ceo@smelcom.ru
This page is for information only and does not constitute a public offer, an advertisement of financial instruments or individual investment advice. The market estimate is the company's own calculation. Smelcom Robotics LLC.