Unmanned underwater vehicles (UUV), both autonomous and remotely operated, have become a ubiquitous tool for conducting oceanographic research, performing subsea surveys, and partaking in underwater construction. As humanity’s presence in the ocean space continues to increase, particularly in sectors such as offshore renewable energy but also new areas such as artificial floating islands, the need for UUV services will also grow. However, the current level of capability of autonomous underwater vehicles (AUV) is insufficient to allow them to safely manoeuvre and successfully conduct tasks close to many structures because of the presence of external disturbances, such as turbulence and waves. MARIN’s research is focussing on enabling wider use of AUVs in the offshore sector by allowing them to safely navigate near large structures, performing docking and conducting visual inspections with minimal collision risk.

cost saving, enhanced safety, reduced downtime and improved data accuracy

The insufficient capacity of AUVs restricts the commercial use of AUVs to simpler tasks and necessitates the utilisation of remotely operated vehicles (ROV) that rely on a highly skilled human operator for control and mission management and an on-station vessel for mission support. This leads to high operational costs and limits the scalability of inspection operations. This is why MARIN is focussing on coordinated research into advanced control systems, artificial intelligence, improved hydrodynamic design, and sensor technology. Our initiative promises not only cost savings but also enhanced safety, reduced downtime, and improved data accuracy.