Unmanned Surface Vehicles
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SeaTrac Systems, a provider of uncrewed surface vehicles (USVs), and Sonardyne, a marine technology company, are successfully gathering critical oceanographic data from the Gulf of Mexico Loop Current System using remote methods.
The project utilized SeaTrac’s SP-48 USV, equipped with Sonardyne’s HPT 7000L transceiver, to collect data from seabed-deployed Origin 65 Acoustic Doppler Current Profilers (ADCPs) and Current Pressure Inverted Echo Sounders (CPIES).
Launched from the Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium (LUMCON) in Cocodrie, LA, the USV navigated 580 nautical miles to complete its mission.
Key aspects of the operation include:
- Remote piloting of the SP-48 USV
- Use of solar and battery power for reduced environmental impact
- 24-hour operation without manual intervention
- Acoustic data gathering from seabed instruments
The Loop Current System’s influence on subsea operations, hurricane intensity, and marine ecosystems makes it a critical subject of study. Traditional data collection methods using crewed vessels pose risks to personnel, incur high costs, and contribute to greenhouse gas emissions.
Aidan Thorn, Business Development Manager for Marine Robotics at Sonardyne, highlighted the significance of the mission saying, “The use of a fully solar powered USV for a data gathering operation of this scale is a key moment in marine robotics. The Gulf of Mexico presents some of the most challenging ocean currents for any vessel, not-least an uncrewed one.
“One of the key reasons SeaTrac was chosen to partner with us on this project was their willingness to rise to the challenge and we are delighted with the results. USVs are a great platforms for collecting data from our seabed nodes and profilers through the integration of our acoustic communication technologies. We look forward to continued work with SeaTrac on this project and hopefully many others.”
SeaTrac’s SP-48 USV features:
- Solar power with high-reserve batteries
- Capability to operate in near-shore and offshore environments
- Mission durations from hours to months
- Support for various customer payloads
Hobie Boeschenstein, Director of Operations and Business Development at SeaTrac, expressed enthusiasm about the collaboration saying, “We’re delighted to have worked with Sonardyne on this project. Our SP-48 USV provides a complete system for maritime observation, data collection and reconnaissance.
“Powered by the sun with high-reserve batteries, it can operate in both near-shore and offshore environments through varying weather and sea conditions, as this mission has demonstrated. It can undertake missions lasting from several hours to several months and is designed to support a wide range of customer payloads. Sonardyne’s technology and company ethos is a great fit for ours and we look forward to supporting them in many future missions.”
The project is set to continue with three additional data collection missions over the next 18 months, further demonstrating the effectiveness of uncrewed technology in oceanographic research. As more information is gathered, additional details about the project and its findings will be released.
