iXblue has confirmed that it has begun to ramp up production of its DriX USV (uncrewed surface vessels), in order to meet the growing demand for sea-proven autonomous platforms as the maritime industry transitions towards more efficient and environmentally-friendly operations.
The DriX USV has been met with strong interest from the industry and is benefiting from steadily growing commercial success, with more than 20 vessels already deployed or trialled worldwide by companies and scientific institutes for seabed mapping missions and other subsea positioning operations. Customers include government institutions such as the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the British Antarctic Survey (BAS), the Polish Navy, the French Hydrographic Institute (SHOM), or the French Research Institute for Ocean Science (Ifremer), as well as survey contractors and operators in the energy market such as TotalEnergies, Ocean Infinity, Sulmara and other rental companies such as Unique, or WAMS.
Designed to support hydrographic and geophysical surveys, water column analysis and subsea positioning operations, iXblue’s DriX USV can conduct both remote-controlled and supervised autonomous operations (within visual range or from Onshore Remote Control Centers). The vessel is provided with an efficient and certified Launch and Recovery System, and offers excellent seakeeping and speed capabilities, drastically reducing costs and increasing operational efficiency.
Able to host a wide range of payloads for multi-capability missions, DriX is a versatile autonomous platform able to operate in both shallow and deep waters (from 2m to 2500m). Certified by leading industry bodies (BV, Lloyd’s), the USV is equipped with advanced perception capabilities, including a radar, a lidar and cameras, as well as artificial intelligence, which enable it to adapt to its environment, avoid obstacles and carry out missions autonomously.
Olivier Cervantes, VP Maritime & Autonomy at iXblue, commented: “We would like to thank all our customers for choosing our DriX USV as they transition towards autonomous operations. DriX’ versatility, both in terms of mission types, and working environments, as well as its reliability and overall performance, has indeed translated into fast commercial success, This strong increase in order intake has led us to review our whole industrialization process for series production with the aim of strongly reducing our lead time, resulting in quicker deliveries and availability of our DriX USV for our customers.”
