We envisage a time, in the not too distant future, where remote and lean-crewed operations at sea, will overtake conventional crewed operations. Robotic transportation, mobility, load handling and huge scale robotic data collection will become the norm. We’re developing the technological infrastructure for an overarching operational environment to facilitate safe, secure and effective remote operations and data collection, storage, processing and analytics, on a global scale. By integrating all of the individual equipment control systems, navigation sensors and data, we will have a one-world view of operations at sea in a real-time, digital environment. This will truly unlock the next generation of at sea operations.
Human Interface
Our custom developed Remote Control Centres bridge our human operators with our various robotic platforms. The first of several global Remote Control Centres is located in Southampton, UK, from which our robotic vessels and equipment will be controlled and supervised over satellite links. From the custom operator consoles, our mariners and data acquisition specialists will safely and efficiently harvest vast quantities of ocean data, and navigate from point to point. While operations from our Remote Control Centre will of course comply with existing maritime laws and safety rules, they will set the standard for a new way of working.
Robotic Platforms
Remotely operated vessels and equipment have the power to operate at sea for longer periods of time and at a much greater scale. With fewer or no people on board and hybrid or zero-emission propulsion, robotics offer a much more fuel-efficient and therefore environmentally responsible and indeed safer way of operating. Our robotic fleet comprises the currently in-build ‘Armada’ vessels ranging from 21m-85m in size, a variety of other technology and equipment including autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) and remotely operated vehicles (ROVs), and machinery including seabed drills, land-based forklifts and cranes.
