NAVANTIA and EOLOS successfully complete the first demonstration tests of autonomous unmanned vehicles

Three Spanish companies, NAVANTIA, EOLOS Floating Lidar Solutions and Alerion, together with the University of Seville have successfully completed pilot and demonstration tests in the Port of Ceuta focused on developing technology and services based on unmanned vehicles for the inspection and diagnosis of Offshore Wind farms.

The port of Ceuta, where  Navantia’s Unmanned Service Vehicle USV Vendaval has been operating since 2019, has been the platform for tests in which Navantia technologies have been combined with advanced data acquisition systems operated by EOLOS, the autonomous drone technology developed by the University of Seville and the specialised industrial drone for Wind Turbines inspection provided by Alerion.

These tests have successfully confirmed the proper operation and performance in real environment conditions of autonomous unmanned vessels working jointly and collaboratively with LiDAR and meteoceanic sensors in combination with autonomous drones.  It has established a new platform for the inspection, diagnosis and monitoring of wind turbines in offshore wind farms. Through this unmanned platform, it will be possible to automate a large part of the processes and reduce human activity, thus significantly reducing the safety risks and the costs at sea.

The tests carried out in the port of Ceuta are part of the previously announced exclusive agreement for the development and exploitation of technologies and services for the operation and maintenance of offshore wind farms signed by NAVANTIA and EOLOS in September 2021 at the Global Offshore Wind (GOW exhibition) in London.

EOLOS is a company dedicated to the measurement and characterization of the meteoceanic conditions of marine sites at a global level for the Wind Offshore Industry.

NAVANTIA, an international benchmark company in the design, construction and life-cycle maintenance of high-tech vessels, as well as in the integration of systems, is also a relevant player in the Offshore Wind sector.

“With these first tests, Navantia demonstrates its firm and real commitment to the application and development of state-of-the-art naval technology  to the renewable energy activities  and specifically to offshore wind power”,

explains Abel Méndez Diaz, Commercial Director of Green Energy at NAVANTIA.

Jordi Puigcorbé, Director of Innovation at EOLOS stated that:

“the results of these tests demonstrate the enormous potential that unmanned vehicles have when they work collaboratively to make the operation and maintenance of offshore wind farms safer and more efficient. The drone technology of the University of Seville and the already operational commercial drone of Alerion fit perfectly into the new unmanned vehicle platform proposed by NAVANTIA and EOLOS. “