Asv Global News

While the adoption of unmanned/uncrewed surfaces vessels (USVs) was initially in defence, use of these low footprint systems has spread into other sectors, not least survey, and now the race is on for greater capability, endurance and autonomy. Elaine Maslin reports.After starting small, in inland waterways, use of USVs for survey operations has moved into coastal and now offshore waters. Given the extensive amount of seabed and rapid growth in offshore wind, there’s plenty of work out there for them to do.With the travel restrictions posed by Covid and increasing awareness of climate change…

Autonomous vessels are quickly gaining acceptance across the maritime sector, but especially in government and military applications where the technological and safety advantages are most pronounced.On Monday, Louisiana-based shipbuilder Metal Shark said it has been selected by the U.S. Marine Corps to develop and implement the Long Range Unmanned Surface Vessel (LRUSV) System, a network of unmanned vessels traveling autonomously for extended ranges and transporting loitering munitions to address targets at sea and on land.The weapons system will be tiered and scalable…

The search for the Argentinian submarine was like hunting for the proverbial needle in a hay stack, except that it was a piece of straw. Elaine Maslin reports. At 7.19am, local time, on November 15, 2017, the last message was received from the San Juan submarine. She belonged to the Argentinian navy and was on a routine mission from Ushuaia in the Patagonia region to Mar del Plata in Buenos Aires province when she lost contact with the military. Fifteen days later, neither the submarine nor any debris had been found and the crew of 44 sailors were presumed dead.

A naval architect and graduate of the Webb Institute, Co-Owner/CEO Chris Allard introduced the engineering-centric approach that has fueled Metal Shark’s growth; driving innovation and transforming the company from a regional builder to a globally recognized industry leader.A member of the ownership team since 2005, Mr. Allard has overseen the expansion of Metal Shark from several employees to over 350. Under Mr. Allard’s direction, Metal Shark has successfully captured over $500…

Metal Shark has arguably been one of the more active and successful boat builders in the U.S. over the last 12 to 24 months, boasting a strong order book and expanding facilities and portfolio. In particular, the company has been able to capitalize on the burgeoning ferry market, today accounting for about a quarter of its business, as Chris Allard, CEO, explains.When you look at the ferry business today in relation to Metal Shark’s business, what do you see?Metal Shark has delivered…

Choosing the ‘top stories of 2018’ was, this year, a difficult task. Many compelling story threads played out, dramatically impacting the North American waterfront, and in particular, the workboat sector – each in their own unique way. Read on to find out how and why.Autonomous Vessels: Ready or Not, Here They ComeFuturistic, remote-controlled autonomous marine vehicles aren’t coming. They are here. As the pace of change quickens, autonomous vessels are already providing service and value on the water. Out ahead of the rulemaking process, autonomous technology providers already churn out not just prototypes and designs, but also countless workboats, many already in service.

The near-shore and inland workboat fleet is at the leading edge for autonomous vessel developmentWhile the advent of autonomous workboats are not exactly mainstream, you better believe that in the not-too-distant future they will be a reality on waterways in and around the U.S. Today there remain more questions than answers, particularly on the legal, logistics and insurance side of the coin. But the technology is evolving at record pace, providing many in the industry with mixed emotions. Excitement. Controversy. Curiosity. Skepticism. These are just a few of thoughts, and emotions that arise to any mention of the topic of autonomous vessels.It’s happening now.

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.

U.S. shipbuilder Metal Shark has joined forces with autonomous vessel technology developer ASV Global to introduce a range of high-tech autonomous vessels.The Louisiana based shipbuilder said it is now offering autonomous technology called Sharktech on its entire portfolio of custom configurable vessels for military, law enforcement, fire rescue and the full spectrum of applicable commercial markets, which range from 16’ to over 300’ in aluminum, steel and composite.“The industry has watched and waited as autonomous technology has matured from its fledgling stages…

As the global fleet of offshore renewables fleet increases, ways to reduce the cost and increase the efficiency and safety of operations and maintenance work, using robotics and autonomous systems, will also grow. Elaine Maslin reports.Robotics and autonomous systems are moving into many areas of modern day life. It’s becoming harder to avoid them, from our phones to automotive systems and now offshore energy renewable projects.Both are seen as tools to do otherwise dull, dirty or dangerous work…

Emerging spill response trends fit into two big categories: technology and a combination of economic and social forces. Both will shape what comes next.Florida’s stunning Tampa Bay stands out as exactly the kind of place where you have to think about hazardous materials emergencies. It was 25 years ago, on August 10, 1993, that a freighter collided with two barges near the entrance of Tampa Bay, causing a fire and spilling over 32,000 gallons of jet fuel, diesel, and gasoline and about 330,000 gallons of heavy fuel, devastating beaches, wildlife and habitat.

Peel Ports Group and ASV Global (ASV) have launched a partnership which will develop the use of autonomous vessel technology for U.K. port operations.The partnership kick-started with a visit from ASV’s team to the Port of Liverpool, to demonstrate the C-Cat-3, an autonomous vessel ideal for shallow survey operations.The C-Cat 3 operated in Brocklebank Dock carrying out seabed survey using a Norbit iWBMS multibeam echo sounder.The successful demonstration has led Peel Ports Group…

ASV Global (ASV) is leading a new £1.2 million research project in partnership with BMT to enhance the safety and reliability of autonomous navigation. The project team will use deep learning machine vision systems trained with a combination of simulated and real world data. Part funded by Innovate UK, the UK’s innovation agency, this project will enhance situational awareness enabling the USV to operate in extreme and congested marine environments. The Synthetic Imagery training for Machine Vision in Extreme Environments (SIMVEE) project will build upon ASV’s existing, COLREG cognisant, autonomous collision avoidance and path planning capability. The project will use BMT’s REMBRANDT simulator to train and validate ASV Global’s vision algorithms to detect and classify objects at sea.

As unmanned surface vessels continue to gain ground globally, a new project in the U.K. sets out to address challenges relating to the coexistence of autonomous systems and traditional manned vessels in shared water space. The £1.2 million ($1.6 million) research project, dubbed SWANS (Shared Waterspace Autonomous Navigation by Satellite), is funded by the U.K.’s innovation agency Innovate UK. Project lead BMT will work with partners ASV Global and Deimos Space UK to enable beyond line of sight…

ASV Global said it has converted a 26ft hydrographic survey launch to enable it to operate autonomously using the ASView control system, while maintaining its ability to operate in a conventional manned mode. The launch, which is part of the Canadian Coast Guard’s (CCG) fleet dedicated to the survey operations of the Canadian Hydrographic Service (CHS), will be used as a test platform for unmanned survey work. This delivery to the CHS marks ASV Global’s 10th unmanned conversion of a customer vessel using the ASView system.

The UK Ship Register has signed its first ever unmanned vessel to the flag, showing how it is adapting to the changes of the maritime industry. ASV’s C-Worker 7 will be used for work such as subsea positioning, surveying and environmental monitoring. It can be used under direct control, semi-manned or completely unmanned. Although such autonomous vessels are now being introduced to many fleets in both commercial and military sectors across the world, they are still relatively new in the maritime sector. Doug Barrow, Director UK Ship Register said: ‘By supporting emerging technologies such as autonomous systems, we are helping to keep the UK at the forefront of the global maritime industry. ‘The UK Flag is growing, as we have invested in resources to meet the demands of that growth.

A high-speed rigid inflatable boat (RIB) will be featured in the first unmanned water-borne demonstration to take place at the world’s largest defense and security exhibition, being staged in London this month. The result of a collaboration between BAE Systems and ASV Global, the Pacific 950 optionally-manned RIB has already made waves at Unmanned Warrior naval exercise which took place off the coasts of Scotland and West Wales just under a year ago. Now it’s set to play a vital…

The U.K.'s first maritime autonomous systems testing service is set to launch later this year. BAE Systems said it has been awarded £457,000 (approximately $594,700) in grant funding from the Solent Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) to design and deliver the U.K.’s first dedicated autonomous systems testing service. Based around Portsmouth, Southampton and the South East of the Isle of Wight, BAE Systems will work with ASV Global (ASV), Blue Bear Systems Research (Blue Bear)…

ASV Global has announced it will be demonstrating its C-Worker 5 Autonomous Surface Vehicle (ASV) at the Ocean Business exhibition in Southampton, 4-6 April 2017. Designed, built, and operated by ASV Global, C-Worker 5 is the ideal platform to support construction and survey operations in combination with cutting-edge hydrographic, positioning and communication systems from leading manufacturers such as Kongsberg Maritime. The 5.5m ASV is designed for up to 7 days endurance at survey speeds of up to 7 knots, minimising launch and recovery operations and increasing survey efficiency. C-Worker 5 will be hosting a variety of Kongsberg Maritime systems during the demonstration, including EM2040P, Seapath 130, MicroPAP and Maritime Broadband Radio.

Thales, BAE Systems and their partner SAAB, ECA Group and ASV Global welcome the confirmation by the Organization for Joint Armament Cooperation (OCCAR) that the UK Ministry of Defense (MOD) and French Defense Procurement Agency (DGA) will continue its collaboration for the combined United Kingdom and France MMCM (maritime mine counter measures) program. Initiated in 2010 under a cooperation agreement between France and the United Kingdom, the MMCM program develops a prototype autonomous system for detection and neutralisation of sea mines and underwater improvized explosive devices (UWIEDs). The agreement signed at Euronaval today between Harriet Baldwin…

ASV Global and TerraSond have completed a 5172 nautical mile hydrographic survey in the Bering Sea, off Alaska. TerraSond used the C-Worker 5 Autonomous Surface Vehicle (ASV) alongside its Q105 survey ship for a duration of 36 days. The C-Worker 5 completed 2275 nautical miles of survey lines operating as a force multiplier, running parallel survey lines to the Q105. Both vessels ran multibeam sonars and simultaneously towed side scan sonars. The C-Worker 5 was operated using ASV Global’s ASView control system from a control station on the Q105 vessel. ASView used exported survey lines from the TerraSond planning system to autonomously execute an accurate survey with minimal human intervention.

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.