First unmanned survey vessel for Rijkswaterstaat
Demcon Unmanned Systems builds two-meter vessel that will perform hydrographic survey tasks.
Published on February 13, 2025
© Rijkswaterstaat / Demcon
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Dutch Rijkswaterstaat has signed a four-year cooperation agreement with Demcon Unmanned Systems to deliver its first unmanned survey vessel (USV) with autonomous navigation functions. This small, unmanned, high-tech survey vessel measures less than 2 meters and is suitable for inland waters. The new USV was developed in the Netherlands and is in series production. With this USV, Rijkswaterstaat intends to perform hydrographic survey tasks. Delivery of the USV is planned for this year, after which the process integration, training, and maintenance period will start.
The all-electric USV has a dynamic positioning system with shaft and rudderless propulsion and an environmentally friendly hull.
Hard-to-reach waters
The small USV incorporates advanced navigation and safety systems. Sailing automation allows the USV, in situations where permitted, to operate independently and not bump into anything. In addition, the compact design features minimal parts protruding. With only an innovative shaftless rotating propeller ring, the vessel has no moving parts. As a result, no wearing parts are present, nor does the USV require chemical lubrication. This makes the vessel very maintenance and environmentally friendly.
Jan-Willem Mol of the Mobile Measurement Department at Rijkswaterstaat says the USV will be equipped with an Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP). “This will enable measuring water flow and discharge in shallow or difficult-to-access waters. Examples include measuring water discharge in a floodplain during high water and measuring flow images in groins along a river.”
Milestone
“This project marks an important milestone for us,” said Fedor Ester, managing director of Demcon Unmanned Systems. “The cooperation with Rijkswaterstaat underlines the applicability of our innovations and shows that the Dutch market for USVs is becoming increasingly mature. Recent legislative and regulatory developments, such as the new exemption options for USVs, also contribute to this.”