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DriX USV Receives Approval in Principle Safety Certification

By Mike Ball / 29 Sep 2021
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iXblue DriX USV

iXblue’s DriX USV (unmanned surface vessel) has received an Approval in Principle (AiP) from marine testing, inspection, and certification body Bureau Veritas (BV). This AiP addresses the safety requirements of the vessel, which is operated via remotely supervised autonomy.

The 8 metre-long DriX is equipped with advanced perception technology, including a radar, a LiDAR scanner, cameras, and artificial intelligence, which enable it to adapt to its environment, avoid obstacles and carry out missions autonomously. Designed to support hydrographic and geophysical surveys, water column analysis and subsea positioning operations, DriX has been used by major hydrographic institutes and energy companies worldwide.

DriX has been certified by BV for its system architecture, its operational envelope, its construction, as well as its autonomy functions. BV’s NI641 Guidelines for Autonomous Shipping provided the framework for a thorough analysis of the DriX architecture and its critical functions in a way that is adapted to autonomous marine systems.

In order to support the AiP, Bureau Veritas Solutions Marine & Offshore (BV Solutions M&O), the technical advisory component of Bureau Veritas Group, conducted a Hazard Identification (HAZID) study, as required by BV NI641. This study identifies and assesses the hazards of Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships (MASS) when unmanned, taking into account the level of automation, direct and remote control, autonomy, area of operation and vessel type and design. BV Solutions M&O also conducted a Failure Mode Effects and Criticality Analysis (FMECA) on critical components previously identified during the HAZID study, in order to identify, evaluate and mitigate the effects of essential equipment failure and to improve the reliability of automation systems associated with essential services.

This first certification of a USV by BV will help strengthen global acceptance of this technology by supporting operators in their risk analysis and mission planning for USV deployment, and demonstrating that such vessels are safe to deploy and operate. BV and iXblue have been working in close collaboration to raise the standards and acceptance of USVs.

Stéphane Vannuffelen, Marine Autonomy Technical Director at iXblue, commented: “We are convinced that the acceptance of autonomous solutions in the marine ecosystem requires a collaborative approach between manufacturers, class societies and authorities, and this work done with BV goes in that direction. This certification is a major achievement not only for DriX, but for the whole maritime industry, supporting its 4.0 transition.”

Laurent Leblanc, Senior Vice President of Technical & Operations at Bureau Veritas Marine & Offshore, stated: “Smart vessel operations can enable the maritime industry to increase productivity, predictability, and efficiency while reducing operational risk on the water. At BV, we are committed to support innovation with our robust set of standards to enable these new technologies to reach the market and ensure that they are safely implemented.”

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Posted by Mike Ball Mike Ball is our resident technical editor here at Unmanned Systems Technology. Combining his passion for teaching, advanced engineering and all things unmanned, Mike keeps a watchful eye over everything related to the unmanned technical sector. With over 10 years’ experience in the unmanned field and a degree in engineering, Mike’s been heading up our technical team here for the last 8 years. Connect & Contact
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