Unmanned Surface Vehicles (USVs)
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The Woods Hole Group and Chance Maritime Technologies have successfully finished an uninterrupted 38-day monitoring survey 200 nautical miles offshore, marking a record for diesel-powered Uncrewed Surface Vessel (USV) operations.
The mission utilized the FAST Eddy ocean current monitoring system, which includes Teledyne 75 kHz and 300 kHz Acoustic Doppler Current Profilers. This technology was integrated into the Chance MC40, a 40-foot USV that transited over 4,000 nautical miles without stopping, refueling, or physical intervention. In addition to monitoring currents, the vessel carried a custom payload to autonomously deploy eight FAR Horizon drifters at specific locations.
Operating at a consistent speed of 4.5 knots, the Chance MC40 maintained full maneuverability and steering authority despite encountering gale-force winds and seas exceeding 12 feet. Unlike solar or wind-dependent platforms, the vessel utilizes continuous diesel propulsion to ensure high payload capacity and reliable speed. Throughout the deployment, a team of shore-based operators maintained 24/7 overwatch using live streaming video, radar, AIS, and marine VHF radio.
The FAST Eddy system acts as a self-contained, real-time solution that transmits processed data via satellite modem to the Metocean Mapper portal. This data complements the EddyWatch service, which provides ocean current intelligence to enhance safety and efficiency for offshore operations. Woods Hole Group, a scientific consulting firm and part of the CLS Group, specializes in providing actionable data for marine and coastal environments.
Stuart Chance, CEO of Chance Maritime Technologies, commented, “This mission marks a major success for Chance Maritime and is a huge testament to the experience and technical expertise of the entire Chance Maritime team. Woods Hole Group has been fantastic to work with, and we look forward to many more successful operations.”
Woods Hole Group’s Rob Smith, VP of the Energy and Infrastructure Business Unit added, “It has been a long-term objective of ours to offer a truly autonomous FAST Eddy system to our Clients. Chance Maritime have enabled us to achieve that goal by developing a rugged, long-endurance USV specifically designed to meet our needs. In addition, they provide an industry leading marine team that exceeds industry navigation, safety, and operability expectations.”
Chance Maritime, which brings over 120 years of combined experience in uncrewed vessel design to its global operations, provided the payload integration and piloting required for the mission. The successful 38-day transit demonstrates the robustness of their GAR software package and the viability of long-endurance, unmanned diesel-powered operations for complex scientific missions.
