XOCEAN launches new unmanned surface vehicle

Ocean data company XOCEAN has launched its newest XO-450 unmanned surface vehicle (USV), the X-16.

According to XOCEAN, the new vehicle offers an economic and carbon-neutral solution to collecting ocean data.

The launch of the new USV comes as part of the company’s plans to double its fleet size in 2022.

The XO-450 USV model features two DC drives, differential steering and has a hybrid power system with a solar deck, lithium-ion batteries and a micro diesel generator.

It is able to develop a speed of up to 4 knots and can stay at sea for 18 days. The 4.5-meter long USV can be used for fisheries, bathymetric surveys, data harvesting, metocean data and environmental monitoring.

XOCEAN recently took part in a milestone project, where its USV completed the first-ever uncrewed survey of fish populations around oil platforms in the North Sea.

The vehicle used sonar to collect data on fish numbers around several oil platforms off Scotland’s northeast coast.