At the Helm of the UKHO
supports marine planning, resource management and environmental planning, but certainly has an important role to play in national security."Bathymetric data. Credit: UKHOAdapting to changeThe UKHO is no stranger to rapidly evolving trends like autonomy and artificial intelligence. "Autonomous technologies are certainly poised to transform our operations – not only in how we collect and process incoming seabed mapping data, but also in how we support safe autonomous navigation in the future," Blake said.The UKHO, leading the IHO's Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships (MASS) Project
Antarctica Undergoing Abrupt Change
in Antarctica and the Southern Ocean, rapidly modifying a complex system that is still to be fully understood.“To improve the predictability of abrupt and potentially irreversible change in Antarctica and the Southern Ocean we need additional and year-round observations from satellites, autonomous technologies and targeted field campaigns, as well as better models and simulations,” Abram said.“However, the only sure way of reducing the risk of abrupt changes is for the world to achieve true net zero emissions by the middle of this century, to limit further warming and stabilize climate
Saildrone: USVs Have Only Scratched the Surface of Maritime Security
look ahead, geographic expansion is on the horizon. This spring, the company announced Saildrone Denmark, a European entity based in Copenhagen. "This expansion reflects our commitment to supporting European allies and enhancing their maritime situational awareness through advanced autonomous technologies," he said.As maritime challenges multiply—from climate to conflict—Saildrone is emerging as a trusted, tech-forward partner to governments, researchers and commercial operators. By building multifaceted platforms, investing in AI, and expanding its global footprint, the
Greensea IQ, Ocean Power Technologies Announce Collaborate On Autonomous Hull Maintenance
markets.The joint effort will focus initially on system design, integration, and prototype testing, with the goal of commercial deployment across key maritime sectors, including maritime, energy, defense, and scientific research.This collaboration underscores the growing demand for sustainable, autonomous technologies that address critical challenges in maritime operations
NOC Expedition Marks 40 Years of Abyssal Science Project
meters deep—and one of the world’s longest deep-ocean observatories of critical ocean data, from seabed to the surface.This year’s expedition (JC278), underpinned by UK National Environment Research Council (NERC) funding, through the AtlantiS program, will include testing new, autonomous technologies alongside well established observational methods.These will add to the long-term multidisciplinary observations at the site, which provide an important window into long-term changes in the health of the deep ocean, from the impacts of climate change to its role as a carbon sink.New advanced
Exail sells first DriX O-16 Transoceanic USV
step forward in Uncrewed Surface Vessel technology. It marks an exciting new chapter in the evolution of USVs and their vital role in shaping the future of modern hydrographic, survey and inspection operations.”As the maritime industry is undergoing a strategic shift toward adopting autonomous technologies and low-carbon impact solutions, the DriX O-16 supports this transition, offering operators a sustainable alternative to traditional crewed vessels. Its hybrid propulsion and naval architecture minimize fuel consumption, while its optimized and innovative system architecture significantly
NOC Appoints Huvenne, Carvalho Chief Scientists
MARS team,” says Dr Alexander Phillips, head of MARS. “Their experience and dedication to marine science will play a pivotal role in bridging the gap between MARS innovations and the broader research community, driving forward our mission to enable cutting-edge marine research with autonomous technologies."Dr Huvenne is a marine geoscientist with more than 20 years of experience in the study of complex deep-sea environments such as cold-water coral reefs, submarine canyons, hydrothermal vents or seamounts. She is currently Associate Head of Ocean BioGeosciences at NOC.Dr Carvalho is
OPT and Unique Group Team Up for USV Services in Middle East
, the companies expect the accelerated adoption of USVs in the region."Working with Unique Group will further accelerate our efforts to deploy USVs globally. We are very excited about the prospects of expanding into the UAE and applaud the local industry’s forward thinking in adopting autonomous technologies,” said Philipp Stratmann, OPT’s CEO.“By leveraging our extensive regional experience and advanced engineering capabilities, we are committed to helping OPT develop a GCC-specific WAM-V 22. This next generation vessel will be designed to meet the regions stringent safety
SOI Steps Ahead on Ocean Mapping
we want to build out, of course, our biological capabilities on board. But this is a new ship for us. This is the first year of our shakedown cruises. We're still testing everything and learning the vessel itself. But in the next few years, I think we will start to add some of the remote and autonomous technologies that we just discussed.So for example, a Saildrone or a SEA-KIT, something like that, an autonomous surface vessel, potentially an AUV. With that when th scientists get out there, they know what they're looking for and where they're looking, whether it's a sea mount which has
December 2025
