MantaRay™ OBN Handling System Developed

Developed by marine geophysical service provider PXGEO, in collaboration with Saab, MantaRay™ is a next-generation Ocean Bottom Node (OBN) handling system that uses Hovering Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (HAUV) capable of deploying and recovering nodes significantly faster and with better precision than traditional methods.

MantaRay is based on Saab’s proven Sabertooth platform, a powerful and versatile unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV), ideal for seabed investigations and capable of operating in water depths ranging from 4m – 3,000m.

Effective, efficient, and reliable, MantaRay is unlocking the full potential of OBN seismic data by enabling complete survey design flexibility and providing optimal imaging to eliminate geological risk. MantaRay also minimizes seabed impact and reduces crew and operational exposure while bringing results faster to the client.

Autonomous, tether-less operation delivers unparalleled efficiency, whilst pre-programmed autonomous mission planning ensures fast and accurate node placement.

Tony Bowman, CEO of PXGEO, commented; “We are very excited to present MantaRay with its unmatched effectiveness, efficiency, and reliability, it will revolutionize the OBN industry and aligns with PXGEO’s commitment to United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. I’m proud of our Engineering team’s relentless work and collaboration with Saab in developing MantaRay. We expect to have the initial fleet of MantaRays in full operation by the end of the year.“

Görgen Johansson, head of Saab’s business area Dynamics, stated: “Together with PXGEO, we are taking the step to make offshore seismic data acquisition fully autonomous. This breakthrough order is a great achievement and a significant milestone, made possible by our combined expertise.”