During the company’s 22.06.2023 press conference, Orsted announced that it had invented and patented the industry’s first uncrewed surface vessel (USV) for offshore met-ocean measurement campaigns, which will help better predict the energy production from new offshore wind farms before they are built.
By the end of 2023, Orsted plans to produce five new USVs following positive results from the prototype USV.
Its built-in navigation system allows the USV to operate continuously in harsh offshore conditions for up to a year at a time, according to the company. By selecting the appropriate sensor instrumentation for each particular operation, the vessel serves as a sensor platform for gathering data on various aspects, including wind conditions, seabed conditions, biological and ecological measurements.

Orsted’s prototype USV. Image by Orsted.
Danish shipbuilder Tuco Marine Group built the prototype, named Hugin USV, and Norwegian company Maritime Robotics AS delivered the control system.
”With our USV concept, we can transport our measurement equipment to and from offshore sites without requiring large, specialised support vessels, and, while on site, it can operate autonomously for extended periods of time, measuring large amounts of data that can be sent onshore and processed in real time,” commented Frederik Sondergaard Hansen, programme manager and co-inventor of the concept.
Source: RenewablesNow
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