Blue Water Autonomy Selected for Naval Autonomous Survey Work

Blue Water Autonomy, a Boston-based technology and shipbuilding company, has been selected for a multiple-award contract with the Naval Oceanographic Office (NAVOCEANO) to provide high-resolution ocean floor mapping using long-endurance uncrewed surface vessels.

Deep open-ocean survey is among the most demanding work at sea, and its value reaches well beyond a map of the seafloor. Surveys like these characterize the operating environment itself such as the terrain, the acoustics, and the shifting conditions that shape how naval forces move and operate far from shore. It sends assets hundreds to thousands of nautical miles offshore for extended missions, and crewed survey ships can cost tens of thousands of dollars a day to operate. 

NAVOCEANO and the wider Navy have steadily expanded their use of uncrewed systems for these missions to lower cost, reduce risk to personnel, and cover more ocean with fewer assets. The award is a multi year, multiple-award, indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contract, with a $40M ceiling, which Blue Water Autonomy will compete for alongside the other selected companies.