Forssea Robotics

Successful trials in Plymouth show how the combination of an uncrewed surface vessel and a remotely operated underwater vehicle can reduce costs, improve safety, and expand offshore operational windows. ACUA Ocean, a member of Ocean Autonomy Cluster, has successfully completed integration trials with French company Forssea Robotics, combining the USV Pioneer uncrewed surface vessel (USV) with the ARGOS remotely operated vehicle (ROV). The campaign marks an important step toward more autonomous, efficient, and cost-effective solutions for subsea inspection, offshore energy operations, and critical infrastructure protection. Over a three-week period in Plymouth, UK, the partners conducted more than 40 deployments of the 170 kg ARGOS ROV. Every launch, dive, and recovery operation was controlled remotely from shore, demonstrating the viability of performing advanced subsea missions without personnel offshore. The trials were carried out under a contract with the European Space Agency (ESA). The objective was to address a long-standing challenge in the offshore market: enabling reliable ROV operations from a platform capable of remaining safely on station in sea conditions that frequently interrupt conventional vessel-based operations. Operating in challenging conditions During the campaign, the integrated solution successfully completed operations in wave heights of up to two metres, with no impact on ROV performance. The team carried out inspections at depths exceeding 20 metres, surveyed seabed features, and conducted test inspections of the Poulmic wreck and a concrete target structure in Cawsand Bay. On one occasion, the system completed eight launch-and-recovery cycles in a single day, highlighting the operational efficiency of the integrated platform. Positioning and tracking were supported by Sonardyne’s Mini-Ranger 2 USBL system, enabling precise underwater navigation and station keeping even in degraded conditions. Combining endurance and precision The solution leverages the complementary strengths of both companies’ technologies. The USV Pioneer provides a stable and highly capable launch-and-recovery platform, allowing operations in sea states that often limit traditional crewed vessels. At the same time, Forssea Robotics’ compact and fully web-controlled ARGOS ROV delivers precise inspection, survey, and light intervention capabilities in a flexible, deployable package. Together, the systems operated as a single remotely supervised solution. Operations were coordinated from ACUA Ocean’s Remote Operations Centre in Plymouth, while Forssea Robotics simultaneously supervised from its headquarters in Sète, France. One of the demonstration dives was also live-streamed to the Cyber Innovation Hub of the Bundeswehr in Germany. Reducing offshore costs and risk According to ACUA Ocean CEO Neil Tinmouth, the trials demonstrate how autonomous systems can provide both operational and economic benefits. “These trials prove we can open a weather window that conventional crewed vessels cannot work in, giving operators a wider weather window for inspection campaigns. Just as importantly, running inspection campaigns from an uncrewed surface vessel takes significant cost out of the work, with fewer support vessels, fewer people offshore and far less weather-related downtime.” Forssea Robotics CEO Gautier Dreyfus described the campaign as an important milestone for both companies. “All of us at Forssea are hugely proud of this milestone and impressed by Pioneer’s sea-state capabilities. Seeing how smoothly the ROV integration and the multiple launch-and-recovery sequences went over the past few weeks was hugely satisfying. We are excited to see what comes next.” Applications across offshore energy and maritime security The integrated ROV-USV solution is aimed at offshore energy operators, subsea inspection and maintenance providers, maritime security stakeholders, and organisations responsible for protecting critical underwater infrastructure. By reducing reliance on large crewed support vessels, the technology can lower operational costs, improve safety, reduce emissions, and increase the number of days available for offshore operations. It also offers a scalable solution for inspections of wind farms, pipelines, subsea assets, and other infrastructure in remote or congested maritime environments. For Ocean Autonomy Cluster, the project highlights the value of collaboration between leading maritime technology companies. The successful integration of autonomous surface systems, underwater robotics, and remote operations demonstrates how innovative technologies can work together to deliver safer, more efficient, and more resilient offshore capabilities.

Forssea Robotics

ACUA Ocean and Forssea Robotics demonstrate remote subsea operations from an uncrewed vessel

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