French oceanographic service to acquire new autonomous vessels

The French National Hydrography and Oceanography Service (Service national d’hydrographie et d’océanographie; SHOM) has confirmed its plans to acquire two new unmanned vessels: an autonomous surface vehicle (ASV) from French manufacturer Exail and an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) from Kongsberg of Norway.

SHOM's selection of the Exail ASV and the Kongsberg AUV followed an eight-month industrial competition.

The ASV will measure 7.71 metres long and will have a displacement of 1.6 tonnes. It is designed to operate independently for up to 10 days while the propulsion will deliver a speed of 14 knots and a range of 1,000 nautical miles.

The ASV’s sensors will include a multibeam echosounder with a rated depth of 3,000 metres. Provisions will also be available for the craft to deploy a smaller remotely operated towing vehicle (ROTV).

The AUV can meanwhile be operated at a depth of 6,000 metres and be fitted with various sensors including a camera, a laser profiler, a sub-bottom profiler, a magnetometer, and sensors for methane, CO2 and oxygen.