Shell has awarded Australian marine survey company Guardian Geomatics with a large hydrographic project utilising its fleet of unmanned surface vessels. The project is to acquire hydrographic data over an area in excess of 800km2.
After the Norwegian Ministry of Petroleum and Energy claimed administrative responsibility for mineral deposits on the continental shelf, the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate has been assigned the task of mapping potential deposits. The mapping will carried out using an an autonomous underwater vehicle.
A new industry project in UK is set to explore the technical, regulatory and societal issues of using autonomous surface vessels, integrated with existing manned shipping operations, to support offshore wind farm operations and maintenance, as well as to develop a timeline for the phased introduction of autonomous vessels.
