Page 20: of Marine Technology Magazine (May 2015)

Tech File: New Vehicle currents typical around the Gulf as well as providing a comms images eg for border security, among many other applications. link between other university assets.

In overview, what did you see in the autono- • Oil, Gas & Renewables mous vessel market that told you that this was

With oil prices down and oil majors looking for ways of re- a good time to invest in a new system.

ducing their costs, unmanned systems are a real option for service providers in the Offshore O, G & R sector. AutoNauts The ability to offer 24/7 data capture at a fraction of can complete MBES survey on assets underwater, monitor hy- the price of a manned asset is extremely valuable to many peo- drocarbon slippage from surface assets and transfer platforms, ple. Autonomous systems have been outlined by the UK Gov- provide marine mammal monitoring around piling and drill- ernment as one of the ‘Eight Great Technologies’. The First ing sites and offer security and surveillance possibilities to an Sea Lord, Admiral Sir George Zambellas has said “The Royal operator. These tasks can be completed by manned ships, but Navy will lead – and win – through the innovative and robust within strict weather and sea condition windows often with a exploitation of Marine Autonomous Systems. They open up a high premium. An AutoNaut can carry on sampling autono- new world of possibilities”.

mously for extended periods at a fraction of the cost. The riverene and lake survey market is