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ARTICLE · 23 AUGUST 2017

Autonomy At Sea – The Future?

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Maritime Autonomous Systems (MAS) technology in the marine and oil and gas sector has advanced rapidly in the last 20 years.

United KingdomTransport
Paul Dean
Paul Dean
Tom Walters
Tom Walters
Jonathan Goulding
Jonathan Goulding

Maritime Autonomous Systems (MAS) technology in the marine and oil and gas sector has advanced rapidly in the last 20 years. Indeed a report prepared by the energy consultants, Douglas-Westwood1, suggests the demand for autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) is expected to grow by 49% in the next four years. The military sector will remain the greatest user of AUVs (73% of total demand), however, the commercial sector, including oil and gas, is expected to see the greatest growth in usage.

The drive to improve safety and reduce risks and costs has driven MAS to the forefront of operations, and AUVs are already being used successfully in carrying out surveys of pipelines for example.

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