Shaping the future of autonomous and remote offshore operations

Fugro commercial manager Sjoerd Butter said the company has been investing in uncrewed service vessels for autonomous surveys and inspections for six years.

The first vessel was launched three years ago for subsea inspection using a remotely operated vehicle (ROV). Since then, several more Blue Shadow and Blue Essence unmanned surface vessels (USVs) have been introduced for inspections, surveys and emerging markets, such as maritime security and academic research, Mr Butter said during Riviera Maritime Media’s Offshore Support Journal Subsea Conference, in London, UK, in February 2024.

Fugro has introduced a new larger series of USV, an 18-m vessel, which will be sea tested during 2024, and the company is working on a USV for geophysical surveys.

Mr Butter explained the importance of maritime communications, onboard edge computers and autonomous work packets on these vessels as the technology eventually enables autonomous sailing and surveys.