Autonomous vessels outperform crewed surveys, UDT hears

Autonomous maritime systems have demonstrated clear advantages over traditional crewed platforms in real-world survey trials, Rear Admiral Angus Essenhigh OBE, UK National Hydrographer, said at UDT 2026 in London.

Speaking during a keynote session, Essenhigh described how the UK Hydrographic Office tasked an industry partner to survey the same area using both a crewed vessel and a set of autonomous systems under identical conditions.

“I gave them a chunk of sea. I divided it in two. I said, send out your crewed vessel to do that half and send out the autonomous systems to do the other half,” he said.

The results were uneven. The crewed vessel suffered a breakdown and had to return to port before completing the task, while the autonomous systems continued operating.

“The autonomous systems brought us the data, and they did it within the timescale set. It was of high quality, and we were able to put it straight in at our highest quality into charts,” he said.

The trial was repeated to validate the outcome. “I didn’t trust them. I thought it was a fluke… they smashed it out the park, did it again.”

Essenhigh said the comparison highlighted the practical advantages of uncrewed approaches, particularly when considering cost, endurance and risk. Autonomous systems removed the need for large crews at sea, with operators able to monitor progress remotely via satellite communications, while still delivering usable bathymetric data.

He pointed to wider benefits including flexibility and reduced environmental impact, adding that such systems allow surveyors to remain ashore while maintaining continuous oversight of operations.

The remarks were during a broader discussion on the growing importance of hydrographic data in the undersea domain. Essenhigh warned that advances in autonomy depend on the availability of reliable, high-quality datasets and standards.

“Technology alone is not the answer. Its value is only realised when it’s built upon authoritative, coherent and trusted hydrographic data,” he said.

He also highlighted the role of new data standards, including the International Hydrographic Organisation S-100 framework, which enables machine-readable datasets needed for higher levels of autonomy.

The keynote formed part of a wider programme at UDT 2026 examining autonomy, data integration and the protection of critical underwater infrastructure, with industry and government speakers focusing on how emerging technologies can be deployed at scale in an increasingly contested maritime environment.