Boston-based technology and shipbuilding company Blue Water Autonomy has been selected by the US Naval Oceanographic Office for a contract to support deep-ocean mapping using long-endurance uncrewed surface vessels.
Announced on August 4, the agreement will see the company deploy the vessels across the Indian and Pacific Oceans.
The multi-year, multiple-award, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract has a ceiling value of $40 million, with Blue Water Autonomy competing for individual task orders alongside other selected contractors.
The surveys are intended to map seabed terrain, evaluate underwater acoustics, and assess changing maritime conditions that influence naval operations.
According to the company, the use of autonomous vessels enables ocean surveys to be conducted hundreds to thousands of nautical miles offshore for extended periods while reducing operating costs and personnel requirements compared with conventional crewed survey ships.
“Mapping the open ocean is exactly the kind of long, high-endurance work that autonomous vessels are built for,” said Chief Executive Officer Rylan Hamilton. He added that the contract will support operations across the Indian and Pacific Oceans beyond the practical range of traditional crewed survey vessels.