Subsea Fenix takes delivery of hybrid USV for survey and ROV work
Italian survey contractor Subsea Fenix has taken delivery of a 5.7m battery-hybrid uncrewed surface vessel (USV) from UK builder HydroSurv, combining hydrographic survey and subsea inspection capabilities on a single platform.
Named Fenix 01, the vessel is based on HydroSurv’s REAV-60 platform and has been developed to cover a wider range of work than the smaller 1.5m USVs that Subsea Fenix has operated since 2018. The company says it has completed more than 400 survey projects using those platforms.
The new USV uses a modular payload arrangement, allowing it to be configured for hydrographic and geophysical survey or subsea inspection.
Survey equipment can include multibeam echosounders, sub-bottom profilers, side-scan sonars and USBLs (Ultra-Short Baselines acoustic positioning systems), while the inspection configuration incorporates a Saab Seaeye Falcon ROV, launch and recovery system and pipe tracker.
Subsea Fenix owner and CEO Stefano Mancini said the ability to change the vessel from a survey platform to an ROV platform was a key factor in the purchase.
“Our goal is to revolutionise the way offshore activities are performed, reducing risks, emissions and providing clients more efficient projects delivered on time, with cost efficiency and decarbonisation as key drivers,” he said. “We aim to become the benchmark for maritime asset digitalisation, redefining subsea and surface inspection standards through automation and artificial intelligence, performing business in a sustainable manner.”
Development is being carried out in three phases under the IMCA M257 USV categories. Category A, covering vessel-mounted equipment, was commissioned in August. Integration of a launch and recovery system for towed equipment is under way, with Category B capability planned by the end of 2026. Category C, covering active ROV/ROTV deployment, is planned for the first quarter of 2027.
The vessel has twin steerable 11kW pod drives, with the design focused on low-speed manoeuvring, station-keeping and line-keeping. It is intended to support ROV operations to depths of up to 300m.
Subsea Fenix expects the common platform to replace elements of conventional vessel operations and reduce mobilisation time and personnel requirements.
“USV Fenix 01 is a good example of what can happen when the platform design authority and the operator work together at the outset rather than treating an uncrewed vessel as a fixed product,” he said.
