Blue Armada Robotics Buys HydroSurv USV, More Orders Coming

Blue Armada Robotics has acquired its first USV, a REAV-60 from HydroSurv, marking a move to capture the uncrewed marine data collection market in the Baltic Sea, with further aims to address emerging opportunities in North America and Asia.

The decision to select the REAV-60 came after a demonstration at Ocean Business in 2023. “I attended Ocean Business to find a proper USV that would suit our specific requirements, but after leaving the exhibitor’s hall without seeing exactly what I was after, I saw a REAV-60 on the water, owned and operated by a third party," said Michal Latacz, Co-Founder & CEO of Blue Armada Robotics. "I had to play cat and mouse to find out who actually built it. Fortunately, it led me to David Hull, CEO of HydroSurv, and their approach to constructing sea machines, and in particular the REAV-60 platform, fits very well into the long-term strategy of Blue Armada Robotics' service development and technological integration plan.”

HydroSurv’s REAV-60 measures six meters long with multi-day endurance with a battery hybrid powertrain. Its payload allows for a diverse range of onboard equipment, including inspection-class ROV systems. Blue Armada has fittingly named their first REAV-60 ‘Arctos 1’, Latin for ‘Bear.’ Latacz described it as “Strong, resilient, and reliable—our bears of the sea.”

This particular USV is just the beginning for the Blue Armada Robotics fleet. The company aims to acquire several more USVs from HydroSurv in the next year. These acquisitions are set to revolutionise the remote inspection of offshore wind farms in Poland. Additionally, the REAV-60 will showcase Blue Armada’s capabilities to conduct a range of services including pre- and post-construction surveys (MBES, SSS, SBP, UXO), cyclic and on-demand asset supervision with Balance-of-Plant integrity checks including, but not limited to, foundations, monopiles, jackets, inter-array, and export cables.

The ‘Arctos 1’ will enable real-time data transmission, including from multi-beam sonars and close-to-object imagery, directly to asset-owning clients and Tier 1 suppliers both domestically and internationally. Delivery of the REAV-60 is scheduled for July 2024, with demonstrations in the Baltic planned for later this year. This partnership marks a significant step forward in marine robotics and data services in the Baltic, promising enhanced efficiency and sustainability for the offshore industry and beyond.