Today, operators are asked to manage larger subsea installations, work farther offshore, reduce emissions, improve safety, and ensure greater asset availability. At the same time, offshore installations are becoming part of a broader network of critical infrastructure that includes not only oil and gas facilities but also power interconnectors, offshore renewables, and subsea data cables. The solution? Systems that are increasingly responsive, connected, and autonomous. The answer? Resident robotics.
Proven at Depth
Rather than being mobilized for a specific campaign, resident underwater drones are designed to remain subsea for extended periods, ready to operate when required. Combining the capabilities of ROVs with the autonomy of advanced underwater drones, these systems have the potential to fundamentally change how offshore assets are inspected and maintained.
A practical example of this transformation can be found offshore Norway, where Saipem’s Hydrone-R resident drone has been operating at Equinor’s Njord field. Working at approximately 320 meters water depth, Hydrone-R has accumulated more than 600 days of subsea operations across multiple campaigns while providing inspection and light intervention services without the assistance of any support vessels. By the end of its second campaign, the system had achieved 240 consecutive days underwater and maintained availability above 99.9%, unlocking fully resident operations on a commercial scale. It also contributed to saving thousands of offshore man-hours while allowing continuous operations, which implies greater safety for operations and immediate risk reduction to personnel.
Now with the fourth dive ongoing, Hydrone-R provides a real-world demonstration of how continuous readiness at the seabed significantly reduces dependency on vessel schedules, avoids exposure to adverse weather, and allows operators to access critical information faster. Hydrone-R’s activities have continued unhindered at Njord despite extreme sea states with waves up to 12 meters, conditions that prohibit conventional ROV activities or surface support from even the most capable USV or IMR vessel.
On another occasion, the drone carried out a fully autonomous mission more than 900 meters away from the installation to inspect an Arctic coral area, collecting high-resolution data before autonomously returning to its docking station. This exemplifies how extended vehicle autonomy unlocks the scalability of subsea residency as an operational model, enabling mobile resident solutions to transfer from one cluster or operational location to another and expand their applicability across wider offshore production areas with minimal topside intervention. Further, this maneuver delivered a significant data set at a fraction of the cost associated with a conventional survey campaign. The message is clear: the ongoing digitalization of subsea operations can yield robust and reliable data at an entirely new price point.
Subsea System of Systems
As attractive as this might sound, this future is not about any one particular vehicle, but rather an integrated digital subsea ecosystem: a system of systems. Resident intervention drones such as Hydrone-R can work alongside autonomous inspection vehicles such as Saipem’s FlatFish, an AUV proven on multiple live assets from the shallows to ultra-deep waters.
Through wireless subsea sensor nodes and underwater networking platforms, offshore assets can become part of an always-connected environment capable of generating, processing, and exchanging information directly at the seabed. In partnership with autonomous robotics, these systems can support frequent inspections, anomaly detection, asset integrity management, and rapid response activities with a new degree of persistence.
As offshore infrastructures continue to expand and evolve, digitalization will increasingly depend on the integration of robotics, data, and connectivity. Resident drones, autonomous inspection systems, and subsea networking technologies are no longer isolated innovations; together, they form the foundation of a new operational model that Saipem has been pioneering in the industry with remarkable achievements in the last 10 years.
The Future
It goes without saying that such a vision has the concrete potential to expand in other adjacent sectors, becoming an essential element of a novel way to protect the critical underwater infrastructures. This topic has become a central focus in recent years given the importance and vulnerability of subsea infrastructure for countries and interconnected economies. The availability of commercially deployed solutions in the energy sector has served as a catalyst for the adoption of long-endurance autonomous systems for defense applications, where Saipem is already developing bespoke packages under agreed delivery contracts.
The next chapter of offshore automation will not simply be about doing the same activities more efficiently. It will be about creating a deployable, scalable and connected subsea system of systems capable of improving safety, sustainability, operational resilience, and infrastructure awareness. After years of development, testing, and field deployment, the realm of resident subsea robotics is proving that this future is already delivering results beneath the surface around the globe.
