US-Canadian collaboration to offer subsea inspection services using unmanned craft

US-based Nauticus Robotics has entered into a collaboration with Canadian unmanned systems specialist Open Ocean Robotics with the aim of providing customers in the offshore energy sector with unmanned vehicles optimised for subsea asset management.

The products to be offered will include Nauticus' autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) and an Open Ocean Robotics' unmanned surface vehicles (USVs).

Nauticus said the collaboration is designed to significantly reduce the high operational costs typically associated with subsea inspections, maintenance, and monitoring.

The joint solution will pair Nauticus' AUVs with Open Ocean Robotics' USVs to offer persistent, real-time monitoring and data collection while minimising the need for costly crewed vessels.

Nauticus said this collaboration would enable energy operators to conduct autonomous inspections and monitoring of infrastructure such as pipelines, risers, and subsea manifolds, "more frequently, efficiently, and with significantly lower environmental impact."

Open Ocean Robotics' USVs are designed to operate autonomously for extended periods using solar energy while Nauticus' AUVs can also be remotely operated. Transition between autonomous and remote operation modes can be done during the same mission.