From my personal project of Myr:
The hull rower is a creation of the alchimists to help larger boats navigate waters even when winds are lacking and absent by sticking itself to the bottom of their hull in groups.
For more details on them, or the lore of Myr at large -> https://sites.google.com/view/myr-worldbuilding/myr/alchimie-organique/codex-des-alchimistes