Deep-water cable surveying, redefined
The most recent milestone came with Saildrone’s completion of a first-of-its-kind deep-water cable route survey in the North Atlantic. In partnership with Meta, the company deployed its 20-metre **Saildrone Surveyor** to autonomously chart over 4,500 kilometres of seabed, collecting high-resolution bathymetric data to aid subsea cable planning. The significance? Subsea cables carry over 99% of international internet and communications traffic, yet their placement requires precise, environmentally sensitive planning.
Running for 26 days without needing a port call or external support, the Surveyor demonstrated that autonomous surface vehicles can match traditional crewed survey vessels in performance while drastically reducing risk, emissions, and cost. According to Meta’s subsea cable engineer Andy Palmer-Felgate, the mission proved that “autonomous ocean mapping is not just possible—it’s here, and it’s incredibly effective.”
Equipped with Kongsberg’s EM304 MKII multibeam sonar, the Surveyor successfully navigated complex seafloor topographies at depths of up to 5,500 metres. The mission not only avoided an estimated 243 tonnes of CO₂ emissions but also eliminated the human toll of offshore deployments, allowing surveyors and engineers to work from shore.
As Saildrone’s VP of Ocean Mapping, Brian Connon, put it: “This is a turning point for deep-ocean survey… we can deliver high-resolution, deep-water bathymetry with a fraction of the fuel, cost, and risk.”
Maritime security steps up
But Saildrone isn’t just focused on data collection. The company has announced a US$60 million investment to establish a European operational hub in Copenhagen, Denmark. The funding, led by the Export and Investment Fund of Denmark (EIFO), will enable Saildrone to expand its fleet and offer persistent maritime surveillance across the Baltic, North Sea, and European Arctic.
Saildrone’s unmanned surface vehicles, especially the 10-metre Voyager model, are now being deployed for 24/7 monitoring of undersea assets like fibre-optic cables and pipelines. With growing concerns about sabotage, illegal fishing, and border incursions, the need for around-the-clock domain awareness has become urgent. Saildrone’s USVs offer a sustainable, cost-efficient alternative to traditional patrol vessels—capable of staying at sea for over 12 months without refuelling and operating in GPS-denied environments through a combination of acoustic, inertial, and celestial navigation systems.
“The threats we face at sea are different and far more serious than just a few years ago,” said Denmark’s Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen. The Danish Armed Forces will deploy four Voyager USVs from June 2025 as part of a broader strategy to modernise naval surveillance.
