A maritime drone is an uncrewed vehicle built to withstand challenging oceanic environments to conduct inspections, security, search and rescue, environmental monitoring and other special use cases.
Maritime drones are becoming more popular to improve safety and efficiency while reducing operational expenses. Maritime use mostly covers use for defense purposes, scientific research and in the oil and gas sector. Maritime technologies encompass a diverse set of innovations designed for operations at sea. From autonomous ships and underwater drones to advanced navigation systems, these technologies play a pivotal role in industries such as shipping, fisheries and marine research. The world of maritime technology is steadily transforming the way we interact with and explore our oceans.
Government: Maritime drones are equipped with sensors and cameras to conduct surveillance and reconnaissance missions. They can gather real-time intelligence, monitor maritime traffic, and detect potential threats, such as enemy vessels or illicit activities. AUVs (Autonomous Underwater Vehicles) can be used in anti-submarine warfare to detect, track and locate enemy submarines. They can carry sonar systems and underwater sensors to identify underwater threats.
Oil & gas: Oil and gas companies are increasingly adopting AUVs to map the ocean floor and perform pipeline inspections, further increasing industry demand and generating growth in the autonomous underwater vehicle manufacturing industry. AUVs represent a drastic cost saving over ROVs (Remotely Operated Underwater Vehicle), which require an operating technician and surface vessel to follow the ROV.
Science and research: Scientists use AUVs to create maps of the ocean floor, record environmental information, sense what humans have left behind, identify hazards to navigation, explore geologic formations, document shipwrecks and more.
