Fugro has completed its first remotely delivered offshore survey in German waters using the uncrewed surface vessel (USV) Blue Essence, marking another milestone in the company’s remote operations strategy.
The 12 m-long Blue Essence carried out a J-tube inspection campaign in collaboration with TenneT Germany. All vessel control and survey operations were managed entirely from Fugro’s onshore remote operations center in Aberdeen, UK, without offshore personnel on board the vessel.
J-tube inspections form part of routine subsea infrastructure management, supporting the safe routing and protection of cables as they enter offshore structures. The use of a remotely operated USV enabled the inspection while reducing offshore exposure and vessel logistics requirements.
The German campaign builds on Fugro’s earlier remote survey work performed during the summer offshore Western Australia. In that project, Blue Essence supported survey activities for a 433 km trunkline installation as part of construction works carried out by Saipem for Woodside Energy’s Scarborough development in the Carnarvon Basin.
According to Fugro, the Australian survey program involved multiple campaign phases along a route that intersected existing subsea pipelines and third-party fiber-optic cables. Additional constraints included proximity to active shipping lanes, a loading jetty, and the shore crossing at the LNG plant, increasing operational complexity during the nearshore phase.
In that context, Blue Essence was deployed to support pipeline installation activities close to shore, where precise positioning and controlled operations were required. The company has positioned the USV as a tool to deliver survey and inspection work remotely while supporting offshore construction and installation campaigns.
