U.S. Navy picks Blue Water Autonomy to use autonomous vessels for deep ocean surveys
Blue Water Autonomy’s Liberty Class is a 190-foot steel autonomous ship. | Source: Blue Water Autonomy Blue Water Autonomy, a Boston-based technology and shipbuilding company, has been selected for a multiple-award contract with the Naval Oceanographic Office (NAVOCEANO). Blue Water Autonomy will provide high-resolution ocean floor mapping using long-endurance uncrewed surface vessels. “Mapping the open ocean is exactly the kind of long, high-endurance work that autonomous vessels ar
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A Boston-based shipbuilding company has been awarded a contract to use autonomous unmanned vessels for mapping the ocean floor in deep ocean surveys. The Navy values this work because autonomous ships can operate hundreds to thousands of nautical miles offshore for extended missions while costing significantly less to operate than crewed survey ships and reducing risk to personnel. The company's vessels integrate hardware, software, and AI to operate on the open ocean for months at a time, with its first ship featuring a range of over 10,000 nautical miles and substantial payload capacity. This contract reflects the Navy's broader shift toward using uncrewed systems for ocean surveys to lower costs, reduce personnel risk, and cover more ocean with fewer assets.
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