US autonomous underwater robot starts commercial ops in Gulf of Mexico

U.S.-based developer of subsea autonomous robotic systems and software Nauticus Robotics has commenced commercial operations of its flagship underwater vehicle Aquanaut Mark 2, following the completion of qualification testing.

The Aquanaut deemed Vehicle 2 completed the qualification testing at a decommissioned field off the coast of Louisiana, performing autonomously without the need of a tether.

According to Nauticus, vehicle capabilities now certified are flyover surveys, leak detection, obstacle avoidance, and visual inspections. The team also verified sending mission updates mid-execution using only acoustic communications, with the vehicle accepting and changing the mission as commanded. As part of the missions, Aquanaut sent compressed photos to the surface via acoustic communications, which the operators viewed for subsea asset verification.

Following testing and data review, Vehicle 2 transitioned to full-scale commercial operations at a nearby production field in the Gulf of Mexico (GoM) in approximately 1,000 meters of water.

“Successful testing in the Gulf of Mexico has yielded valuable data on subsea assets and demonstrates the strong commercialization potential of Aquanaut Mark 2,” said Daniel Dehart, Nauticus’ VP of Field Operations.

“We continue to analyze the collected data and Aquanaut’s performance in subsea environments to further optimize operations for future campaigns. Most importantly, this testing has sparked significant excitement among our customers by delivering high-quality, untethered inspection results for the first time.”

At the beginning of the year, Nauticus secured over $12 million in funding, part of a second tranche of investment, to execute 2024 goals, including augmented autonomy for subsea robots. The aim of the investment is to expedite the certification of the Aquanaut robot.

The first tranche of financing took place before the close of 2023, said to have eliminated many of the dilutive warrants and ratchet provisions of the original de-SPAC financing in the process.

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