Nordic USV secures HydroSurv REAV-47 for deep-water missions
Building on a transformative first year of uncrewed operations, Nordic USV and HydroSurv have extended their partnership with a 60-month lease agreement for the newly launched REAV-47 platform. This strategic advancement follows Nordic USV’s successful first year with the REAV-28 USV Nordy, which completed over 100 oceanographic monitoring missions from its home port in Bergen, Norway.
The latest vessel, USV Bris, represents a significant milestone in HydroSurv’s REAV platform development. Its hybrid powertrain combines a 12kW Mastervolt battery module with a 4kW Fischer Panda generator, achieving an impressive 72-hour coastal endurance. In a first for HydroSurv, the REAV-47 incorporates Rim Drive Technologies’ groundbreaking 5kW electric outboards, offering instant, stepless acceleration while minimizing entanglement risks.
Advancements in remote operations
Nordic USV will primarily deploy the REAV-47 for CTD (conductivity, temperature, depth) profiling operations in Norway’s challenging fjords. Equipped with an upgraded OSIL profiling winch capable of reaching depths of up to 1,500 metres, USV Bris is set to achieve the deepest profiling capabilities ever accomplished by an uncrewed surface vessel. This milestone underscores the evolving potential of remotely operated vessel applications.
“The REAV-47 represents a quantum leap in remotely operated vessel capability,” said Sander Henriksen, CEO of Nordic USV. “From our Bergen operations centre, the REAV-47 will conduct missions up to 1,000 kilometres away, gathering crucial environmental data even in adverse conditions. This unprecedented reach transforms how we monitor coastal ecosystems.”
The REAV-47 is HydroSurv’s first uncrewed vessel equipped with an advanced navigation suite that integrates Furuno hardware with TimeZero marine navigation software, enhancing situational awareness for coastal deployments in the Nordic region’s challenging conditions. Additionally, the vessel continues to utilize the trusted and highly configurable Dynautics Spectre autopilot, proven on previous REAV-60 seagoing vessels.
Innovative data collection
David Hull, founder and CEO of HydroSurv, commented: “We couldn’t be happier that Nordic USV has placed its trust in HydroSurv to provide USV capabilities for the next five years as it scales its innovative data collection services. Having completed over 100 missions in the first year with the REAV-28 USV Nordy, I’m excited to see what Sander and his team will now achieve with USV Bris and her sisters scheduled for delivery early next year.”
Through 2025, Nordic USV has planned an ambitious schedule for USV Bris. The vessel will operate in challenging conditions, undertake extended missions and reach remote locations. These operations will support the expansion of Nordic USV’s unique data-as-a-service model, designed for oceanographic and environmental monitoring.
