Peel Ports successfully completes first trial of autonomous survey vessel

Peel Ports has taken delivery of an autonomous unmanned survey vessel, which recently completed its first successful trial at Crosby Marine Lake, North of Liverpool.

Named Fitzroy, the vessel provided hydrographic charts of Crosby Marine Lake, located a short distance from The Port of Liverpool, as part of the trials. The lakebed data collected will then be fed into upcoming planned dredging operations.

The one-tonne, 4.5-metre vessel was developed by US technology firm L3Harris. Its equipment includes a multibeam sonar capable of high-resolution seafloor mapping down to 100 metres, a GPS-based waypoint tracker, and an obstacle avoidance system.

Communication with the remote base station is via wifi, 4G, and VHF radio.

The unmanned vessel may also be used for hydrology research, scientific exploration, hydrographic survey, and search and rescue (SAR).