ABS has awarded classification to the saildrone “Surveyor”, a fully autonomous deepwater unmanned surface vehicle (USV).
At 20 meters in length, the Surveyor is capable of unmanned operations across all of the world’s oceans. It is the largest class of USVs from Saildrone, a provider of maritime security, ocean mapping, and meteorological and oceanographic data using autonomous platforms.
“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,” said Patrick Ryan, ABS Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer.
“Surveyor” is capble of fully autonmous operations
“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,” said Richard Jenkins, Saildrone founder and CEO. “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.”
The 20-meter Surveyor is designed for long-endurance missions in the open ocean, collecting deep-ocean bathymetry and performing a wide range of maritime domain awareness tasks. This milestone follows the smaller 10-meter Voyager, which achieved ABS class in 2023 and is designed for persistent surveillance in coastal and near-shore environments.
Saildrone USVs are capable of fully autonomous operations with no human on board and are remotely monitored 24/7 by the company’s global Mission Management team. ABS continues to collaborate with industry, government regulators, and stakeholders on the design and implementation of advanced remote-control and autonomous technologies.
