US-based seabed survey and ocean exploration company Ocean Infinity said it has launched a new marine technology and data company boasting the industry's largest fleet of unmanned surface vehicles (USV).
Armada, with a focus on combining technology and environmental sustainability, will initially add 15 bespoke designed marine robots to Ocean Infinity’s current fleet of autonomous underwater vehicles (AUV).
Armada’s fleet is currently under construction and is expected to be deployable by the end of 2020.
Each unmanned surface robot will serve a wide range of industries by being fully equipped to perform a multiplicity of offshore data acquisition and intervention operations down to a depth of 6,000 meters. These robot ships will be capable of remotely deploying a wide range of the latest sensors as well as AUVs and remotely operated underwater vehicles (ROV) for visual and acoustic data acquisition.
Armada’s fleet requires neither people on board nor a host vessel nearby. Instead they will be controlled and operated by experienced mariners via satellite communications from state of the art onshore facilities in both Austin, Texas and Southampton, England.
The fleet approach produces up to 90% less CO2 than other conventional survey vessels, Ocean Infinity said.
Dan Hook, Managing Director for Armada, said, “We are very excited to be launching Armada, which perfectly complements the other service offerings in the Ocean Infinity Group. The pioneering technology makes our operations world-leading in terms of environmental sustainability and safety, while still achieving the very highest levels of data quality and value for our clients. With no requirement for a host vessel, we are breaking new ground in the area of subsea technology and data.”