Theme 1 – Maritime safety and security

Oceanography and offshore have until now been the principal users of Unmanned Underwater Vehicles produced in the USA, Canada, Norway, United Kingdom, Germany and France. These UUVs operate using wireless technology but follow a pre-programmed trajectory which cannot be modified during the course of their mission.

A new generation of more autonomous and intelligent drones, Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs), is currently being researched for delicate reconnaissance missions relating to safety and security in particular. Detecting objects lying on the ocean bed, cargoes of dangerous or polluting substances lost at sea, packages dropped by drug traffickers or terrorists and shipwrecks does demand more intelligent and therefore more autonomous craft.

The Thalès, ECA, IXSea and Sercel companies already constitute a significant presence on UUV world markets, each in its own specialist area. They have decided to pool their skills and join forces with public and private lab researchers to design and produce two AUV prototypes of 200 and 800 kg for sale internationally.

These undersea vehicles will have a memory capable of retaining the geographical data required for their mission. Operating at a depth of 300 m, the AUVs will be able to make the right decisions and to react to unforeseen events by altering their trajectory using a combination of several detection systems – sonar, camera, physical chemical sensors, etc.

ASEMAR project partners

Companies

• Thales Underwater Systems SAS Brest, world leader in sonar systems for maritime safety, is piloting the project.
  
• ECA Brest is a world leader in the field of undersea robots with an on-board energy source.
  
• IXSea Brest is among the world leaders in surface and undersea navigation systems, remote acoustic control and seabed imaging. 
  
• Sercel undersea acoustics division, Brest, is a recognised international specialist in undersea communications and localisation using acoustics.

Research bodies

• ENSIETA
• Ecole Navale/IRENAV
• ENSTB
• ISEN
• GESMA
• SHOM
• IFREMER

Contacts

jean-yves.eouzan@pole-mer-bretagne.com
ali.khenchaf@pole-mer-bretagne.com