Autonomous Surface Vehicles News

U.K. based Kraken Technology Group announced it has appointed Mark Exeter as its new chief operating officer.Exeter joins Kraken from L3Harris where he was managing director of their U.K.-based autonomous surface vehicles (ASV) division. With a 30-year career in engineering and technology-led businesses, and 16 of those leading multi-disciplinary teams in maritime robotics, Exeter’s appointment as COO will be a significant catalyst and force-multiplier for Kraken’s operational capabilities…

Ocean explorer and scientist Dr. Robert D. Ballard opens up on his personal life and his world-famous ocean discoveries like never before in his new book, “Into the Deep.” Best known as ‘the man who found the Titanic,’ Marine Technology Reporter had the opportunity to interview Ballard on the contents of the book, a book released yesterday with a follow-up National Geographic television special scheduled for June 14, 2021, taking a deep dive into his dyslexia, the importance of his family throughout his career…

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI) has reached a final agreement with Mitsui E&S Holdings Co., Ltd. under which MHI will take over the Naval and Governmental Ships business of Mitsui E&S Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. A formal agreement on the transfer has been signed.Mitsui E&S Shipbuilding, an operating company of Mitsui E&S Holdings, has strengths in the construction and repair of auxiliary ship, such as supply ships and oceanographic survey ships for Japan’s Ministry of Defense, as well as governmental ships such as vessel for patrolling local fishing waters. In recent years the company has also been actively developing new technologies…

The future is painted bright for companies dealing in hybrid and electric marine propulsion, as vessel owners and operators pursue cleaner technologies to comply with ever-stricter environmental regulations while also seeking ways to improve their bottom line.Case in point is Germany-based electric drives manufacturer Torqeedo, which has to date delivered more than 100,000 electric propulsion products for a wide range of recreational and commercial customers.The hybrid/electric market is one that’s ripe for growth, says Dr. Ralf Plieninger, COO and CTO, Torqeedo.

Thomas Chance founded C & C Technologies in his home in 1992. Today C & C is a global oil field surveying and mapping company with more than 550 employees in ten offices worldwide. C & C was the first company in the world to offer autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) survey services to the oil industry and remains a world leader in the field. In April of 2015, he sold C & C Technologies to Oceaneering International. Complementing the autonomous underwater vehicle business, Mr. Chance started Autonomous Surface Vehicles, Ltd., or ASV, in 2010. ASV has 140 employees, four offices across the globe and has built more than 100 state-of-the-art unmanned boats for the defense and commercial sectors.

ASV has collaborated with the Littoral Acoustic Demonstration Center Gulf Ecological Monitoring and Modeling (LADC-GEMM) consortium to conduct 10 days of Passive Acoustic Monitoring (PAM) data collection for its BP/Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative (GoMRI) funded project. ASV worked closely with Seiche Measurements Limited to integrate its PAM technology on both the C-Worker 6 and C-Enduro Autonomous Surface Vehicles (ASVs). The ASV crew operated from the R/V Pelican coastal research vessel to collect extensive data, which will undergo analysis in the coming months. The two ASV’s were able to identify approximately 30 marine mammals whilst operating in challenging sea conditions up to sea state 5.

ASV informs it has collaborated with the Littoral Acoustic Demonstration Center Gulf Ecological Monitoring and Modeling (LADC-GEMM) consortium to conduct 10 days of Passive Acoustic Monitoring (PAM) data collection for its BP/Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative (GoMRI) funded project. ASV worked with Seiche Measurements Limited to integrate its PAM technology on both the C-Worker 6 and C-Enduro Autonomous Surface Vehicles (ASVs). The ASV crew operated from the R/V Pelican coastal research vessel to collect extensive data, which will undergo analysis in the coming months.

Three marine robot vehicles have been launched from Plymouth today to undertake a fish tracking mission in and around new Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). Scientists from the Marine Biological Association (MBA) and engineers from the National Oceanography Centre (NOC) are working together on this pioneering project to study how fish use these areas on a day-to-day basis. Using acoustic pingers, plaice, sole, brill and rays are being tracked at sea by the ocean robots programmed…

ASV Ltd in association with Planet Ocean Ltd, have received funding from the GROW:OffshoreWind initiative to investigate how the use of Autonomous Surface Vehicles (ASVs) could reduce the costs of offshore wind farm support. The project will look at using ASVs to reduce the cost of tasks related to the construction, operation and maintenance (O&M) of offshore wind farms. Together ASV and Planet Ocean will look at scour monitoring, cable position tracking, wave and meteorological monitoring, current profile monitoring and underwater noise monitoring. ASV will be presenting two of their ASVs, the C-Enduro and C-Worker whilst Planet Ocean who specialise in the provision of marine instruments will look at mission and sensor options.

QinetiQ, as part of a new Marine Surface Target Service, has signed a contract with Autonomous Surface Vehicles (ASV) for the supply and operational support of autonomous surface target vessels. The partnership is part of a new initiative enabling QinetiQ's Marine Surface Target Service to rapidly and effectively meet customer needs for trials and training against appropriate targets. The Marine Surface Target Service is an innovative addition to the wider QinetiQ Target Services, which offers aerial and underwater targets for ‘real’ test, evaluation and training.

Autonomous Surface Vehicles (ASV) Ltd. completed phase one of a two phase C-Target 9 program with South Korea. The highly maneuverable, ultra realistic, high speed marine target drones will be used in the test and evaluation of a new weapon system. In early 2013, Korean company GigaRFlooked to ASV to provide four 9-meter target drones for the Agency of Defense Development (ADD).ASV has worked closely with GigaRF to ensure the timely delivery of the first two vehicles. Phase one was completed on October 17 with the first two boats carrying out acceptance tests at ASV’s site in Portchester…

Autonomous Surface Vehicles (ASV) team wins research contract to design & build a long endurance marine unmanned surface vehicle under the UK Government-backed Small Business Research Initiative (SBRI). Autonomous Surface Vehicles (ASV) is leading a team having successfully won the second phase of the recent SBRI competition to develop a Long Endurance Marine Unmanned Surface Vehicle (LEMUSV). Run by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and the Defence, Science and…

Thales UK has signed a contract with Autonomous Surface Vehicles Ltd (ASV Ltd) to develop a re-configurable Unmanned Surface Vehicle (USV) to meet the challenges of future off-board Mine Countermeasures (MCM) operations. The low signature USV, which is 11.5m in length and 3.6m in beam, will have a maximum speed of around 25 knots. The vehicle is now under construction and will be undergoing acceptance trials later this year. A series of payload trials will be conducted from early 2013 onwards, drawing on experience gained in previous off-board system programmes.

The theme of the 4th International RoboBoat Competition, sponsored by The Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) Foundation and the Office of Naval Research (ONR), was “The Four Elements.” Teams of students designed and built autonomous surface vehicles (ASVs) that faced challenges involving earth, air, fire and water. The competition was held at The Founders Inn and Spa, Virginia Beach, VA, June 8-12, 2011 and included 15 teams representing colleges and universities around the world.

Global Fusion, Inc., an international marine services company, welcomed Autonomous Surface Vehicles, Ltd. to the Global Fusion family of companies.  ASV will join C & C Technologies, Inc. as a part of Global Fusion's Unmanned Systems Group.