ABS awards Classification to Saildrone Surveyor
The American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) has awarded full Classification to the Saildrone Surveyor, claimed to be the largest fully autonomous deepwater unmanned surface vehicle (USV) globally.
The 20m-long vessel is capable of autonomous operations in all of the world’s oceans, and it is the latest and largest class of USVs from Saildrone.
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The USV is designed for long endurance missions in the open ocean, capable of collecting deep-ocean bathymetry and executing a wide array of maritime domain awareness activities, including trans-ocean cable route surveys.
ABS senior vice president and chief technology officer Patrick Ryan said: “ABS and Saildrone are pioneering new frontiers, setting the pace for innovation. This step forward is a result of our investments in ABS’ technical capability and helping to ensure our Rules are able to support innovation with an unwavering focus on safety.”
The assessment of autonomous vessels such as the Saildrone Surveyor and Saildrone Voyager extends beyond their physical construction.
ABS scrutinised the Surveyor’s autonomous control mechanisms, secure communication systems, structural soundness and multiple backup systems to guarantee that the vehicle can reliably navigate without human intervention, even amidst the challenging and variable conditions of the ocean.
This achievement comes on the heels of the smaller 10m Voyager, which received ABS Class in 2023.
The Voyager is tailored for persistent surveillance in coastal and near-shore environments.
Saildrone’s USVs are fully autonomous, requiring no human presence on board, and are monitored around the clock by the company’s global Mission Management team.
Saildrone founder and CEO Richard Jenkins said: “The ABS class certification is more than a certificate—it’s a signal to governments and the maritime industry that Saildrone USVs are mature, safe, tested, and ready for scale.
“It’s been a very large investment and a multi-year process to achieve ABS Class Certification, but we are proud to be the first company in the world to do so and proud that our systems have reached the highest standards as required by the ABS Class certificate.”
In a related development, ABS has entered a partnership with Saronic Technologies to further the advancement of autonomous technologies within the maritime sector.
The two organisations have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to work together on projects that will enhance technical requirements for autonomous surface vessels (ASVs) and classification services for Saronic’s autonomous capabilities.
