Nauticus Robotics, Inc., a Houston-area developer of offshore subsea and surface robots and autonomy software, and Diverse Marine Ltd., an internationally recognized Isle of Wight, UK-based shipyard specializing in the design, new build construction, refit and repair of workboats and search and rescue craft, have entered an agreement for Diverse Marine to develop the initial production run of the Nauticus Fleet. Production and delivery of the first set of robots is scheduled for Q4 2022, with the remainder being fulfilled by the end of 2024. The agreement follows 18 months of close collaboration between the teams at Nauticus and Diverse Marine to bring the project to fruition. Diverse Marine has the infrastructure and partnerships to build Hydronauts worldwide, including Jones Act compliant builds with its USA-based shipyard partners.
“Partnering with the world-class team at Diverse Marine allows us to bring our promising operational Nauticus Fleet to the industry,” said Nicolaus Radford, Chairman and CEO of Nauticus. “Diverse Marine has the seasoned expertise and enterprise capability to develop our sophisticated robots at scale.”
The 18-meter Hydronaut features:
Aluminum hull, deck, and wheelhouse designed by Global Marine Design of Australia, working closely with the yard and client to guarantee all aspects of the vessels’ operational capability;
Propulsion provided by Volvo Penta’s IPS900 in twin configurations that meet the passage speed requirements of 18 knots and match perfectly to the slow running speeds required while working with Aquanaut;
Proprietary Guardian Autonomy hardware and software provided by Marine AI;
Sophisticated and comprehensive navigation and communications suite provided by Boat Electrics & Electronics;
A SMART-Gyro roll dampening device is being supplied by Golden Arrow.
Other systems of note are autonomous through hull deployment of transducers and acoustic communication systems, a Kongsberg LARS Aquanaut launching system, and MLC compliant sleeping and mess areas when optionally manned. The vessel will be classed with Bureau Veritas and initially flagged to MCA Workboat Code.
“We are delighted to have signed an agreement with Nauticus for the development and construction of the Nauticus Fleet,” said Ben Colman, Director of Diverse Marine. “This is an exciting milestone in the development of our business and the start of a productive relationship with Nauticus to build a fleet of autonomous working vessels.”
The Nauticus Fleet, a robotic navy of 20 Hydronaut-Aquanaut pairs, will be deployed in multiple offshore industries serving applications ranging from subsea maintenance and intervention to data collection activities. Nauticus is currently planning regional operations within the Gulf of Mexico, Norway, the United Kingdom, and Brazil. These regional bases will provide local subject matter expertise and logistics to maintain the highest quality of services. Eventually, Nauticus plans to have operational bases around the world, strategically located and equipped with local remote operation centers and service teams.
Hydronaut’s primary objective is to support the launch, recovery, and real-time operations of Aquanaut, its undersea robotic counterpart. Hydronaut transports Aquanaut to and from the worksite, supports battery recharges, and administers the communications link from the local remote operations center for supervised autonomous operations. Additional technical and operational support can be provided from Nauticus’ Houston- based global remote operations center. Aquanaut is a fully electric, free-swimming subsea robot controlled through acoustic communication networking, capable of performing a wide range of data collection, inspection, and manipulation tasks.
Aquanaut’s defining capability is the ability to operate in two separate modes, actively transitioning between excursion and intervention configurations. Excursion mode involves the usage of data collection and perception sensors during transit, while intervention mode uses two electric work-class manipulators (Nauticus’s Olympic Arms) to perform work in the subsea environment.
On December 16, 2021, Nauticus and CleanTech Acquisition Corp. (NASDAQ: CLAQ), a special purpose acquisition corporation, entered into a definitive business combination agreement that would result in Nauticus becoming a public company.
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