Concept for unmanned wind farm protection vessel unveiled
Autonomous Guard Vessel design (Source: C-Job)
C-Job Naval Architects of The Netherlands have announced a new design for an autonomous guard vessel (AGV) to protect offshore wind farms and other installations.
The AGV design is smaller and lighter than most current guard vessels used to protect offshore operations. The vessel is designed for surveillance of offshore structures ranging from wind farms to substation platforms and cable routes.
An intruding vessel can be communicated with and will receive information on how to safely navigate the area as well as being physically escorted away from the site. Additionally, the encounter will be recorded to provide video footage in case of any violation or accident. The smaller vessel size creates a number of opportunities, such as using batteries thanks to reduced propulsion requirements.
The project was created by a consortium, which includes C-Job Naval Architects, SeaZip Offshore Service, Sea Machines, MARIN, and eL-Tec elektrotechniek BV, to support the offshore industry.
