Shaping the future of autonomous and remote offshore operations

In an exclusive interview during Riviera Maritime Media’s Offshore Support Journal Subsea Conference, in London, UK, in February 2024, Fugro commercial manager Sjoerd Butter introduced remotely controlled vessels for extended surveys and inspections in remote areas of the world’s seas.

Fugro has invested in autonomous and remote-control vessels for six years. The first vessel was introduced 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 deployed for inspections, surveys and emerging markets, such as maritime security and academic research.

In Q1 2024, Fugro introduced a larger series of USV, an 18-m vessel, which will be tested at sea in 2024. Mr Butter said the company is working on a USV for geophysical surveys.

He 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.