Focus on Unmanned Craft

This month’s featured unmanned vessels include those that serve a variety of roles in the civilian maritime sector. Two are optimised for ocean exploration, one is modified to assist in offshore fishing, and one is a technology demonstrator that seeks to validate the use of hydrogen as a marine fuel.

Unmanned Surface Vehicles • Unmanned Underwater Vehicles • Remotely Operated Vehicles

This week, we also look into an ongoing trials program by a defence shipbuilder. The long-term objectives of this project is to determine how both crewed and uncrewed vessels can operate together in support of US Navy deployments worldwide.

We invite readers to visit Baird Maritime regularly over the coming days to get the latest on the global unmanned vessels sector and associated technologies.

Vessel Reviews:

• DriX – Unmanned vehicle to support NOAA’s ocean exploration programs
• Guardian del Mar – Peruvian company’s newest USV to be used for fish finding

Features and Opinion:

FEATURE | UK company developing hydrogen-fuelled autonomous vessel prototype

– “The developers expect the vessel will have a maximum endurance of 60 days.”

FEATURE | US naval shipbuilder successfully demonstrates coordinated manned and unmanned vessel operations

– “HII is currently exploring modifications for other UUV’s and participating in live demonstrations with the fleet within the next year.”

News and Gear:

• Maritime Security Vessel News Roundup | August 25 – Nigerian Navy RIBs, US Navy autonomous crewboat and more
• Work Boat World Fishing Vessels Orders and Deliveries Roundup – June 28, 2022
• ABS, SpaceX to jointly develop autonomous ships for rocket recovery
• Norwegian companies form two new unmanned vessel joint ventures
• Marine projects joint venture formed in Abu Dhabi
• New Turkish-built armed USV hits the water

Recent Important Features:

COLUMN | Ocean Infinity: Waiting for Godot, for newbuildings and for published accounts? [Offshore Accounts]

– “Not everything that glitters is gold, and not every company hyping its technology can actually deliver on time.”

– by Hieronymus Bosch, Baird Maritime‘s anonymous insider in the world of offshore oil and gas operations

Call for content!

Any news or views about the unmanned vessel industries? Send it through to [email protected] ASAP (between now and August 26), so we can add it to this current edition of Unmanned Craft Week!

We are after:

• Vessels – Orders, new deliveries, under construction
• Gear – Latest innovations and technology in the unmanned vessel sector
• Interviews – Owners, operators, research organisations, etc.
• Reminiscences – Do you have any exciting, amusing or downright dangerous anecdotes from your time in the unmanned vessel world? (example here)
• Other – Any other relevant news