Long-range robot ship to carry out research

THE world’s first long-range unmanned robot research ship is set to be built in the South West.

Plymouth firm M Subs Ltd has been commissioned by Plymouth Marine Laboratory (PML) to design the 24m-long Oceanus vessel – named after the first baby born on the Mayflower.

The autonomous boat would usher in a new era for net zero oceanography and advanced international marine research, PML said.

Supported by seed funding from the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), the sleek and unmanned Oceanus has been designed as a selfrighting, lightweight, monohulled autonomous vessel capable of carrying an array of monitoring sensors to collect data for research into critical areas such as climate change, biodiversity, fisheries and biogeochemistry.

Designed primarily to make the transatlantic sampling voyage from the UK to the Falklands, the Oceanus will carry an advanced scientific payload and use the latest AI technology to help navigate the best course to its target location, with real-time input from weather forecasts and other marine data feeds.

Currently most oceanographic sampling is performed either through fully-manned research trips or via moored data buoys and smaller autonomous devices.

Although still important for validation purposes and more complex tasks, research trips are costly, logistically challenging and have an environmental footprint, while smaller autonomous devices are restricted in their range.

The idea for Oceanus was borne in the wake of the launch of the Mayflower Autonomous Ship (MAS) also developed and built in Plymouth by M Subs Ltd and partners including IBM. The MAS set off for North America in April 2022 and is expected to arrive in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, in early June.

The MAS expedition was designed as a 21st-century tribute to the Mayflower’s voyage of discovery in 1620.

Icarus Allen, PML chief executive, said: “This is a hugely exciting venture, with the capacity to revolutionise the way we carry out marine research expeditions and support the drive towards net zero.

“The Oceanus will exploit the very latest in AI technology, enabling us to push the frontiers of marine science and open up new opportunities in how we monitor the ocean environment. Not that long ago this would have been the stuff of science fiction fantasy but through the design and development of the Oceanus we are really unlocking the future of ocean-going marine research.”