Autonomous underwater drone developer BeeX and Dutch offshore ecological management specialist Blue Ecology Contractors BV have formed a collaboration to jointly deploy autonomous subsea inspection systems across the greater North Sea region.
The partnership was formalized at WindEnergy Hamburg 2026 in Germany on 28 September by Grace Chia, Chief Executive Officer of BeeX, and Marco Visser, Co-founder and Managing Director of Blue Ecology Contractors. As offshore wind and marine energy infrastructure projects accelerate across the basin, regional operators face growing demands for consistent environmental inspections to satisfy regulatory compliance standards and support marine biodiversity initiatives.
Traditional subsea monitoring methods frequently depend on remotely operated vehicle systems that necessitate continuous manual piloting and active stabilization in turbulent ocean currents. Such work-class systems also rely heavily on large, fuel-intensive Dynamic Positioning support vessels. In response to industry demand for lower-impact inspection services and reliable ecological data, BeeX provides autonomous underwater drones equipped with current-fighting platforms, artificial intelligence, and integrated sensor suites. The autonomous units operate with lean launch and recovery logistics and minimal equipment footprints, reducing the carbon dioxide emissions generated by offshore support vessels during surveys.
Under the agreement, Blue Ecology Contractors will manage projects requiring underwater vehicle operations, deploying the autonomous drones from its base in the port of Scheveningen in the Netherlands. BEC will provide vessel access and mobilization support to enable flexible operational timelines, while both organizations combine their regulatory insight, market knowledge, and relationships with Dutch governmental bodies and industrial clients. The initiative forms part of BeeX’s broader expansion strategy in Northern Europe to establish networks with operators, contractors, and asset owners seeking scalable autonomous technologies.
“Ecological monitoring is an important job beneath the surface, and it needs to happen at a scale and frequency that traditional methods struggle to deliver. Partnering with BEC exposes our autonomous drones to research, academia, and government bodies looking to carry out ecological projects more reliably, productively, and sustainably,” said Grace Chia, CEO of BeeX.
Marco Visser, Co-founder and Managing Director of Blue Ecology Contractors, said, “BEC’s mission is enabling offshore ecology, by bringing with technological advancements and operational know-how to science and nature enhancement initiatives at sea, to contribute to effective and safe upscaling of ecological features in offshore windfarms and beyond. We’re excited to integrate BeeX’s advanced autonomous systems into our suite of technical solutions, aiding ecological projects and to help our clients gather better data more safely and efficiently.”
