Saipem’s FlatFish Underwater Drone Successfully Completes Test Campaign with Petrobras

23 March 2026

Saipem’s FlatFish can autonomously inspect subsea resources without the support of a vessel. (Image credit: Saipem)

FlatFish, Saipem’s most advanced underwater inspection drone, has successfully completed a key phase under the contract awarded by Petrobras in 2023 for the development and testing of an autonomous robotic solution. These were Functional Acceptance Tests, executed in a controlled environment, aimed at verifying that all the functions required by the contract—from mission autonomy to data quality—meet the technical and operational standards established before deployment in the field.

Following the positive test outcome, Petrobras has been able to grant approval to proceed with the final phase of the project, which aims at the full implementation of the FlatFish technology in a real offshore environment in the ultra-deep waters of Brazil.

The testing campaign was held at Saipem’s underwater drone testing facility in Trieste, Italy, in the presence of Petrobras representatives and showcased the full operational capabilities of FlatFish, achieving a remarkable step forward for the underwater robotics industry.

Indeed, throughout the Tests campaign, the drone executed multiple fully autonomous inspection missions, including structure and pipeline inspections, cathodic protection measurements, and wall‑thickness assessments.

FlatFish, a hybrid and fully autonomous underwater inspection drone, has been developed as part of “Hydrone”, Saipem’s underwater robotics program aimed at industrializing a family of underwater robots capable of performing complex, autonomous inspection tasks at depths of up to 3,000 meters.

Saipem is committed to the development of cutting-edge underwater robotics, with applications spanning from very shallow to ultra-deep waters, from subsea resident to semi-resident deployment, enabling full autonomous inspections.

In this context, the long-term partnership with Petrobras provides valuable contributions to the final development stages of a strategic capability in the offshore energy industry.