Unmanned Surface Vehicles
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At Ocean Business 2025, OceanAlpha introduced the L42 Uncrewed Surface Vessel (USV), a hybrid-powered, high-endurance platform purpose-built for scientific and commercial offshore surveys.
With a focus on reliability, modular payload integration, and long-term deployment, the L42 features a hybrid propulsion system that offers over 1,500 km of range and 8 days of endurance at 4 knots, enabling extended missions with minimal vessel intervention.
This endurance allows the vessel to support projects requiring continuous environmental monitoring, habitat mapping, and deepwater pipeline inspection, all while reducing logistical challenges and carbon footprint compared to traditional crewed vessels.
Designed for stability in diverse sea states, including open-ocean conditions, the L42 is equipped with four redundant electric motors to ensure mission continuity.
Versatile Scientific Payloads
Engineered with adaptability in mind, the L42 supports a broad spectrum of survey and research instruments. These include multibeam echosounders, side-scan sonar, sub-bottom profilers, towed magnetometers, and USBL tracking systems. A modular payload lift and towing configuration allows for rapid deployment and recovery of wet-end sensors, enabling seamless transitions between missions in hydrography, geology, and marine biology.
Speaking at the launch Pinestone Shi, General Manager of OceanAlpha, commented “The L42 reflects our user-driven design philosophy. By prioritizing field-proven reliability over unnecessary complexity, we aim to help survey teams reduce operational costs while maintaining data quality. The vessel’s balanced specifications make it suitable for multi-day offshore survey projects and environmental baseline studies requiring consistent data collection.”
The first production unit of the L42 has passed third-party acceptance testing and will be delivered in April 2025 to a professional survey organization in Africa. As a leading adopter of USV technology for professional offshore survey services in the region, the client brings extensive experience in uncrewed marine operations. With this partnership, OceanAlpha anticipates that the L42 will drive significant innovation and efficiency gains in the field, paving the way for enhanced safety, performance, and sustainability in maritime surveys.
