Dutch-US consortium developing autonomous vessel for protection of offshore assets

A consortium formed by Netherlands-based C-Job Naval Architects, LISA Community, Seazip Offshore Services, the Maritime Research Institute Netherlands (MARIN), el-Tec Elektrotechnologie, and US-based Sea Machines Robotics is currently developing a new autonomous vessel that will be used for protection and surveillance of offshore structures.

The vessel is specifically designed for surveillance of offshore structures ranging from wind farms to substation platforms and cable routes throughout their life cycle.

With any area that needs to be secured, the vessel can continuously monitor nearby marine traffic visually as well as via radar and AIS data.

In the event that any vessel approaches the area, measures will be taken to secure the area in order to prevent collisions and damage to the offshore infrastructure. An intruding vessel can be communicated with and will receive information on how to safely navigate the area as well as be physically escorted away from the site by the autonomous vessel.

Additionally, the encounter will be recorded to provide video footage in case of any violation or accident.

Since the vessel will not require an onboard crew and will run on battery power, it is designed to be considerably smaller than crewed guard vessels currently in service. It will also be capable of operating in rough sea conditions.