Saildrone becomes first-ever commercial USV to receive classification from ABS 

Saildrone, whose ocean drones are revolutionizing the way ocean data is collected, says it has received the first-ever classification for an autonomous uncrewed surface vehicle (USV) from the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS).

The classification has been awarded to Saildrone Voyager, the payload for which includes high-resolution multibeam echo sounder (MBES) and Innomar sub-bottom profiler (SBP) systems that are important for coastal ocean mapping operations. The drone’s intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) sensor suite, meanwhile, includes a smart camera array, digital radar, and sub-surface passive acoustics.

The California-based company is quick to hail classification as a key milestone because it would allow the Voyager to operate in the ports and waters of countries that require vessels to be classed by organizations such as ABS.

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Here’s Patrick Ryan, ABS senior vice president and chief technology officer:

Uncrewed drone vehicles have huge potential to change the way we operate at sea and are a first step towards commercial autonomous vessels. ABS is a leader in this space, working with key partners all over the world to support the development and adoption of the technologies and strategies autonomous shipping will be built on. Saildrone Voyager is an exciting technology and a key milestone on the road to more autonomous operations and we are proud to be able to use our experience to support it.

Richard Jenkins, CEO and founder of Saildrone, adds, “Saildrone has spent three years maturing the Voyager design to be the industry leader in capability, reliability, and safety in the uncrewed vehicle sector. This classification from the American Bureau of Shipping defines the new gold standard for uncrewed systems and underscores the maturity of our technology.”

It’s worth pointing out that ABS has granted “Approval in Principal” to another, larger 20-meter (65-foot) Saildrone platform called Surveyor.