One, key innovation driving these changes is subsea residency; the capability to maintain unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs) for extended periods and reduce the need for large support vessels and human presence at sea. Combining electrification, automation and autonomy, this technology has the potential to significantly reduce operational costs, minimize risk, and lower environmental impact, making it a game-changer for both the offshore energy sector and potentially the defense industry.
EXTENDING DEPLOYMENTS
Subsea residency offers a paradigm shift for offshore operations. Traditionally, offshore energy infrastructure like windfarms and oil platforms have required large crews of up to 100 people to live and work on-site. This not only presents a significant health and safety risk but also leaves a substantial carbon footprint. Offshore platforms and support vessels consume large quantities of energy for essential hotel services, transportation and the like. Also, frequent transport to and from platforms, often involving helicopters, increases emissions and adds to safety concerns.
With subsea residency, these problems can be alleviated. Resident ROVs, such as Saab’s Seaeye SR20, are designed to remain underwater for extended periods, operating from minimally crewed or uncrewed vessels. The current industry goal is to have ROVs operating for 6 months underwater. This dramatically reduces the number of workers needed offshore, lowering the operational carbon footprint and improving overall safety. The all-electric SR20 is highly efficient, consuming half the fuel of traditional hydraulic vehicles while delivering the same level of performance. With capabilities to carry out underwater tasks without frequent resurfacing, resident ROVs not only save time but also reduce the risks associated with manned offshore operations.
One key example is the use of subsea residency by Ocean Infinity’s Armada fleet. The SR20 will be deployed on this fleet of optionally-crewed vessels to carry out a range of tasks, including inspection, repair, and maintenance of offshore infrastructure. The ability to run these ROVs from shore-based control centers adds further efficiency, reducing the need for large vessels and minimizing the environmental impact of offshore operations.
AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES
The introduction of autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) is pushing the boundaries of underwater technology even further.
These vehicles are able to benefit from AI technology and can perform tasks like inspection and maintenance autonomously, without the need for human pilots. Leveraging advanced sensors and data analytics, AUVs are capable of navigating complex underwater environments, detecting issues such as corrosion or structural damage, and carrying out repairs with precision.
Autonomy not only improves the efficiency of underwater operations but also frees up human operators to focus on more strategic tasks. By analyzing real-time data and making decisions on the fly, AUVs can perform interventions more quickly, further reducing downtime for offshore infrastructure. This level of independence marks a significant leap forward in the evolution of ROVs, enabling companies to reduce cost, boost operational efficiency and improve safety.
DEFENSE OPERATIONS
While the commercial offshore industry benefits significantly from subsea residency and autonomous technologies, their applications for the defense sector have the potential to deliver a persistent capability.
AUVs could play a crucial role in the protection of critical undersea infrastructure (CUI), such as undersea communication cables and pipelines, which form the backbone of global connectivity and energy supply.
With an ever-increasing array of undersea communication cables laid and planned globally, stretching more than 1.4 million kilometers, protecting this infrastructure is essential for global trade, internet traffic, and even national security. These cables, with some laid as deep as 8,000 meters, are vulnerable to sabotage and other threats, as evidenced by multiple attacks on CUI in the Baltic seas over the last 3 years. Seabed warfare is becoming an increasingly prominent concern, making it critical to enhance the monitoring and protection of CUI.
AUVs offer an innovative solution to aspects of the CUI problem. They can patrol vast areas of the seabed, respond to queuing from other sensor systems, detect anomalies, and even neutralize underwater threats such as explosive devices. The commercial sector has for a long time led the way on the use of underwater robotics, but the growing Seabed Warfare challenge is changing the dynamic. An increasing collaboration between the commercial and defense sectors will drive advancements in underwater robotics and Saab is at the forefront of that innovation. For example, during NATO’s REPMUS exercise in 2023, Saab deployed its ROVs to conduct inspection of simulated CUI cables as directed by the data obtained from a number of different AUV sensors. On completion of inspection the ROVs performed various procedures on targets that had been identified along the cables.
THE FUTURE
The subsea residency of ROVs and AUVs is driving a new era of offshore operations. In the offshore energy sector, resident ROVs are reducing the needs for human intervention, cutting costs, and minimizing the environmental impact of large-scale operations. The transfer and application of these technologies to deliver an operational effect in the defense sector will provide a new string to the bow in the battle to combat the threat to CUI.
As technology continues to advance, the next generation of ROVs and AUVs will transform the way we operate beneath the waves. With longer battery life, enhanced autonomy, and greater operational flexibility, these vehicles will not only support the growing demands of offshore industries but also safeguard the future of global undersea infrastructure. Through close collaboration between industry and defense, we can continue to innovate and strengthen the security of our underwater world.
This opinion appeared in ON&T Magazine’s 2025 March Edition, Naval Defense & Intelligence, to read more access the magazine here.
