Saildrone Surveyor maps 4,500 km of seabed, marking a serious shift in ocean survey capabilities
In a landmark achievement for maritime expertise, Saildrone and Meta have efficiently accomplished a first-of-its-kind deep-water cable route survey utilizing an uncrewed floor automobile (USV). The 26-day mission passed off within the North Atlantic throughout June and July 2024, utilizing the 20-meter Saildrone Surveyor.
This milestone proves that uncrewed methods can match conventional crewed survey vessels in information high quality and efficiency—whereas vastly decreasing environmental influence and operational threat.
Mapping the Seafloor with Autonomy
The Saildrone Surveyor mapped over 4,500 kilometers of seabed with out requiring a port name or exterior assist. It operated in each sail and motor-sail modes and was geared up with a Kongsberg EM304 MKII multibeam sonar system. The automobile achieved swath protection of as much as 10 kilometers in water depths as deep as 5,500 meters.
The mission centered on mapping bathymetric information alongside two subsea cable routes—Anjana and Aurora. This allowed direct comparability between the Surveyor’s efficiency and that of typical survey ships. In line with the mission workforce, the Surveyor exceeded expectations in key efficiency areas, together with route constancy, line preserving, information transmission, and depth accuracy.
“This mission demonstrated that autonomous ocean mapping isn’t just doable—it’s right here, and it’s extremely efficient,” mentioned Andy Palmer-Felgate, subsea cable engineer at Meta. “Saildrone delivered information that matched legacy surveys with distinctive accuracy, all whereas working remotely and with minimal environmental influence.”
New Requirements in Distant Operations
The workforce used the Saildrone Mission Portal and real-time satellite tv for pc communications to trace the USV’s efficiency. Operators may re-task the automobile mid-mission to research seafloor options akin to canyons and seamounts. This versatile strategy was beforehand solely doable with crewed vessels and opens new prospects for responsive survey missions.
Along with enhancing efficiency, the mission considerably lowered Well being, Security, and Environmental (HSE) dangers. Surveyors and engineers may work remotely from dwelling or workplace, decreasing the necessity for lengthy deployments and time away from households.
The mission additionally averted an estimated 243 tons of CO₂ emissions—greater than 50 instances lower than emissions from an ordinary crewed survey vessel.
Trying Forward: A Shift in Ocean Survey Technique
“This can be a turning level for deep-ocean survey,” mentioned Brian Connon, VP Ocean Mapping at Saildrone. “The Surveyor’s efficiency on this mission proves that we are able to ship high-resolution, deep-water bathymetry with a fraction of the gas, value, and threat.”
Saildrone plans to increase its fleet of Surveyor USVs to assist a variety of industries. These embody subsea telecom, offshore vitality, and nationwide hydrography packages. Future enhancements will give attention to longer mission vary, climate resilience, and integration of applied sciences like AI navigation and expendable bathythermographs.
About Saildrone
Saildrone is a U.S.-based protection firm that gives maritime intelligence and uncrewed ocean survey options. Its USVs are geared up with superior sensors and proprietary AI to ship real-time insights above and beneath the ocean floor. With over 2 million nautical miles sailed, Saildrone methods are utilized by governments and industrial purchasers all over the world for border safety, hydrography, undersea infrastructure safety, and extra.
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Miriam McNabb is the Editor-in-Chief of DRONELIFE and CEO of JobForDrones, an expert drone companies market, and a fascinated observer of the rising drone trade and the regulatory atmosphere for drones. Miriam has penned over 3,000 articles centered on the industrial drone area and is a world speaker and acknowledged determine within the trade. Miriam has a level from the College of Chicago and over 20 years of expertise in excessive tech gross sales and advertising and marketing for brand new applied sciences.
For drone trade consulting or writing, Electronic mail Miriam.
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