DEA acquires the new SeaBat T51-R Integrated Dual Head
Teledyne Marine has announced that David Evans and Associates (DEA), US consulting firm, has taken delivery of the recently launched SeaBat T51-R Integrated Dual Head (IDH) system, marking an important early adoption milestone following the system’s launch at Oi2026 and highlights growing interest in the SeaBat T51 series across the US market.
The announcement also underscores a long-standing relationship between DEA and Teledyne RESON, for more than three decades DEA has collaborated with RESON on pioneering projects, system developments and major survey projects across the US. DEA was among the first to deploy Teledyne’s multibeam systems for shallow water bathymetry back in the early1990’s.
DEA’s use of RESON’s sensors has evolved from the early applications of the SeaBat 9001 through to the SeaBat T51 and Integrated Dual Head solutions in use today. Applications include coastal and inland infrastructure inspections, site characterization and habitat mapping using normalized backscatter, navigation and nautical charting surveys, civil works design and construction surveys, cable and pipeline route surveys and inspection, and contaminated site remedial investigation and design surveys.
"The data quality of Teledyne's technology is what keeps us coming back," said Jon Dasler, Senior Vice President, DEA. "With the SeaBat T51-R IDH we’re seeing a clear step forward in both data density, unprecedented resolution, and survey efficiency. That combination is critical for the kind of high-resolution work we do and we're looking forward to deploying the system in operations."
The SeaBat T51-R Integrated Dual Head system enables full-rate dual head performance from a single integrated platform, allowing surveyors to achieve wider swath coverage and significantly increased data density without reducing vessel speed. By removing the need for staggered pinging, the system helps maximise efficiency while maintaining the high-resolution performance for which the T51 series is known.
“DEA's decision to invest in the T51-R IDH+ system is a strong endorsement of both the technology and our long-standing partnership," added Kristine Beran, Sales Manager of Oceanographic/Scientific, Imaging & Instruments, Teledyne Marine. "It’s also a clear indication of the momentum we’re seeing for the T51 series. As we mark 50 years of RESON innovation, it's rewarding to see customers we’ve worked with for decades continuing to adopt our latest innovations – partnership like this is a powerful reminder of how collaboration in the field has shaped the technology."
Introduced at Oi2026, the SeaBat T51-R Integrated Dual Head system extends proven dual head capability, already established on the T20 and T50 platform, into the high-resolution T51 series, enabling both surface vessel and deepwater ROV deployments while allowing survey teams to capture more detailed seabed data in less time and ultimately reducing overall operational costs.
Teledyne Marine, for more info, visit: www.teledynemarine.com
Listening with less noise: How uncrewed vessels can support marine mammal research
In marine mammal monitoring, every acoustic trace can help researchers understand where animals are moving and how populations are changing. Collecting those traces, however, is not simply a matter of putting a hydrophone in the water. The survey platform itself can become part of the problem.
In April 2022, researchers working in a protected coastal area in southern China used an OceanAlpha M40P uncrewed surface vessel (USV) with passive acoustic monitoring equipment to investigate the local Chinese white dolphin population and distribution. The project showed how a quieter, compact surface platform can improve the conditions for marine-mammal monitoring while also making the field operation easier to manage.
A sensitive species in a busy estuary
The Chinese white dolphin, also known as the Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin (Sousa chinensis), is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. The Pearl River Estuary supports a major population, but it is also one of the world’s most intensively used coastal environments. Effective protection depends on reliable observations of where dolphins occur, how groups are distributed and whether younger animals are present.
Visual observations remain important, but sound gives researchers another way to detect dolphin activity. Passive acoustic monitoring records vocalisations without transmitting sound into the water. Each useful recording can contribute evidence on the presence and movement of animals, including when visibility makes direct observation difficult.
Why the survey platform matters
Conventional fishing boats had previously been used for local dolphin research. Their machinery and hull noise could interfere with acoustic measurements, so hydrophones were commonly towed on cables up to 80 metres long to increase the distance between the sensor and the vessel. A long tow cable creates its own operational challenges: deployment and recovery take more effort, and the instrument is exposed to greater risk of snagging or damage.
For this mission, the electrically propelled M40P followed a planned route through the reserve while towing the acoustic equipment astern. Its lower operating noise provided a quieter working environment for the sensor. The tow cable could be shortened to around 10 metres, simplifying handling and helping protect the equipment.
The catamaran platform also offered a stable base for the payload. Rather than treating the USV as a stand-alone product, the project combined the vessel, acoustic sensor, route planning and remote supervision into one data-collection workflow. That integration is essential: a quiet hull is useful only when the sensor arrangement, operating speed and survey route are designed around the scientific objective.
Turning sound into evidence
The recorded signals gave the research team material for analysing dolphin activity in the reserve. Chen Yuwei, an engineer with the Institute of Hydrobiology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, explained the value of the data: “Every voice track represents a Chinese white dolphin. We have successfully applied sonar devices and acoustic technologies to our population and distribution research.”
The mission also produced encouraging field observations. Chen Xi, then head of the technology department at the Pearl River Estuary Chinese White Dolphin National Nature Reserve, noted that many of the dolphins observed in the area were young, including calves. Such observations do not replace long-term population analysis, but they add valuable context to the acoustic record and help guide continued monitoring.
Beyond a single research mission
The same reserve also used an autonomous surveillance and rescue vessel for routine patrols along predefined routes. Radar and Automatic Identification System data supported real-time monitoring of vessel traffic, recording tracks and flagging potentially suspicious activity. This illustrates a broader role for uncrewed platforms in protected waters: the technology can support both scientific observation and day-to-day stewardship.
Not every marine-mammal survey is suited to a USV. Weather, sea state, communications coverage, local traffic, sensor requirements and wildlife-disturbance protocols all need to be considered. Researchers must also validate data quality and retain clear control over mission changes or termination. Uncrewed operation changes where people work; it does not remove the need for experienced scientists, surveyors and mariners.
The Pearl River Estuary project nevertheless offers a practical lesson for ocean observation. When the platform is selected around the measurement rather than the other way round, autonomy can do more than reduce the number of people at sea. It can create better conditions for the sensor, make delicate equipment easier to handle and help researchers listen to protected species with less interference.
For marine science, that may be one of the most useful measures of technology: not how visible it is in the field, but how quietly it helps the evidence come through.
About OceanAlpha
OceanAlpha develops uncrewed surface vessel systems for hydrographic survey, environmental monitoring, marine engineering, security and rescue. Its work focuses on integrating vessels, sensors, autonomy and remote control into practical marine operations.
Sonardyne helps BAS navigate on GIANT climate mission
An ambitious climate science mission using marine robots, in formation and closer to glaciers than they’ve been before, sets sail this summer with support from Sonardyne underwater positioning technology.
The GIANT project, led by British Antarctic Survey (BAS), is investigating how the warming ocean is making Greenland’s tidewater glaciers melt - and what this means for our global climate.
To do this, the UK’s polar research ship RRS Sir David Attenborough will send a fleet of autonomous vehicles - aerial, surface and subsea - as a connected observing system, into one of the world’s most extreme environments to get the most comprehensive data possible.
Sonardyne’s Ranger 2 Ultra-Short BaseLine (USBL) positioning system onboard the RRS Sir David Attenborough and a Mini-Ranger 2 USBL system on the daughter craft Erebus will be used to track and control formation operation of the mission’s underwater vehicles as they map the glacier’s underwater face.
The underwater vehicles being used include the UK National Oceanography Centre’s AutoSub Long Range (ALR, AKA Boaty McBoatface), a Teledyne Gavia and ecoSUB Robotics autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs).
The GIANT project involves 15 collaborating institutions, five technology partners and is backed by the UK’s Advanced Research and Invention Agency (ARIA) as part of the Forecasting Tipping Points programme.
Dr Pierre Dutrieux is an oceanographer at BAS and is leading the ocean robotics research on RRS Sir David Attenborough: “This is an exciting and ambitious mission using fleets of autonomous vehicles to help us gather data in otherwise extremely hard to access environments. The data they collect will help to transform how we forecast ice loss in Greenland’s fjords and improve early warning systems for tipping points that could reshape our planet’s climate.”
Michelle Barnett, Business Development Manager, Ocean Science, at Sonardyne: "Our acoustic and inertial systems provide the positioning layer that helps underwater robots know where they are, stay coordinated and return reliable scientific data."
“In simple terms, GIANT is not just about sending robots closer to the ice, which is ambitious in itself. It is about turning multiple vehicles into a connected observing system capable of gathering measurements scientists have never captured before."
“By helping those robots operate safely and accurately in one of the harshest environments on Earth, Sonardyne is enabling research that could improve climate models and deepen understanding of a critical global challenge.”
The GIANT mission
GIANT stands for Greenland Ice sheet to AtlaNtic Tipping points from ice loss.
The GIANT mission will run from July into August this year at tidewater glaciers near Kangerlussuaq Fjord with a goal to map, measure, and monitor everything from ocean water temperature to glacier movement using autonomous vehicles.
Alongside the underwater vehicles, there will be embedded robotic sensors tracking melting below the surface, a DriX uncrewed surface vessel at the surface and aerial drones surveying the ice from above.
The information they gather will be used to answer a critical question; how fast can Greenland’s glaciers melt—and what does that mean for our climate?
Learn more: https://giantgreenland.com/
What is a climate tipping point?
One of the biggest unanswered questions in climate science is deceptively simple: how quickly can Greenland’s glaciers melt - and how much of that melt will reach and disrupt the ocean systems that regulate our weather?
Scientists know that warm ocean water is already eroding glaciers from below, contributing to sea level rise and potentially affecting major currents in the North Atlantic. What they don’t yet have are detailed, continuous measurements from the critical zone where ocean and ice meet—because it’s one of the hardest places on Earth to reach safely.
The GIANT programme is designed to change that.
How new is the use of ocean robots to map glaciers?
GIANT is one of the first projects to treat underwater robots as a coordinated system - deploying fleets of long-range, small and survey AUVs together - in extreme glacier environments, for extended periods.
The aim is not just to collect snapshots of data, but to feed near-continuous observations into climate models, helping scientists better predict how Greenland’s glaciers will respond to a warming ocean - and what that means for sea levels, ocean circulation and future climate risk.
Crucially, this kind of multi-robot operation depends on knowing where each vehicle is at all times - despite the fact that GPS signals don’t work underwater and visibility can be near zero.
This is where acoustic and inertial navigation systems from Sonardyne provide the positioning layer.
Our Ranger 2 and Mini-Ranger 2 USBL systems, installed on the RRS Sir David Attenborugh and its daughter craft, Erebus, will enable these multiple robots to work in formation alongside the sides of these glaciers, underwater, safely and so that the data they collect can be accurately mapped and compared.
For GIANT, that positioning confidence isn’t just a technical detail - it’s what turns raw observations into reliable scientific evidence.
Fugro to support UK carbon capture infrastructure development
Fugro has been awarded a contract by Saipem to deliver integrated marine survey and inspection services for the Northern Endurance Partnership (NEP), the UK's first CO₂ transportation and storage infrastructure project. Saipem is leading the engineering, procurement, construction and installation of the offshore pipeline and associated infrastructure for NEP, an incorporated joint venture between bp, Equinor and TotalEnergies.
With access to up to one billion tonnes of CO₂ storage capacity beneath the North Sea, the programme aims to decarbonise some of the UK's most carbon-intensive industrial regions. Once operational, the infrastructure will play a key role in reducing emissions while supporting ongoing industrial activity and strengthening regional energy security.
Fugro will deliver nearshore and offshore survey and inspection operations to support pipeline installation, from landfall through to connection with existing offshore infrastructure. Nearshore works will focus on prelay surveys from the tunnel exit, extending several kilometres offshore, along with installation monitoring as the pipeline is pulled out to sea to confirm it is being laid as designed and to identify any unexpected seabed changes early.
Further offshore, Fugro will provide surveys, installation support and verification along the pipeline route, including at third-party pipeline and cable crossings. This unique source-to-seabed approach provides Saipem with consistent, reliable Geo-data along the entire route, helping reduce installation risk and support efficient project delivery.
“As the UK's first major carbon capture and storage project, NEP’s work marks an important milestone for the energy transition, and we're thrilled to be part of it," said Mike Duncan, Fugro's Director of Marine Asset Integrity in Europe and Africa. “By working closely with Saipem across nearshore and offshore environments, from early surveys through to installation, we support informed decision‑making that helps Saipem manage risk across a technically complex route.”
Kongsberg Maritime and BCIT announce landmark Marine Innovation Simulation Centre of Excellence in British Columbia
KONGSBERG, Kongsberg Maritime, and BCIT are pleased to announce a significant investment that will establish the Marine Innovation Simulation Centre of Excellence (MISE) in British Columbia. The initiative is designed to strengthen maritime innovation and skills development, support ongoing research and development, while building on key objectives outlined in Canada’s Defence Industrial Strategy.
The partnership and subsequent investment are enabled through the Industrial Technological Benefits (ITB) policy, and in support of KONGSBERG programs in Canada. This investment will directly support improved facility infrastructure, onboarding of applied research and faculty expertise, and ongoing research and long-term capability development.
Through the partnership, BCIT’s new Simulation Center will be built around the Kongsberg Maritime simulation technology, providing a synthetic environment, development tools, and APIs to support collaborative applied research with Canadian industry, academia, defence, and public-sector stakeholders. It will serve as a platform for prototyping, human factor studies, testing, and accident and incident analysis including de-risking new concepts in areas such as maritime safety, autonomy, cyber resilience, critical infrastructure, port development, and low- and zero-emission operations. The hub will also help accelerate commercialization opportunities and support the development of sovereign Canadian capability in a strategically important sector.
“We are very pleased to demonstrate our continued commitment to Canada through this partnership,” said Jordan Freed, President and Managing Director at Kongsberg Geospatial, KONGSBERG’s Ottawa-based subsidiary. “Sovereign digital systems are a key capability outlined in Canada’s defence industrial strategy. Our company is pleased to play a role in building out key defence capabilities, based on KONGSBERG and Norway’s long history of maritime domain research and infrastructure.”
The partners will implement a strategic long-term capability to support sustainable and future-oriented maritime development. The technology partners will deliver the core systems, simulation environment, and technical expertise required to enable high realism, scalability, and innovation across the project’s solutions.
“Together with BCIT, we are establishing a long-term innovation and research hub for Canada’s maritime sector—one that can support safer operations, faster competence development and the testing of new concepts before they are deployed in the real world," said Are Føllesdal Tjønn, Managing Director, Maritime Simulation at Kongsberg Maritime. "By combining advanced simulation with collaborative R&D, MISE will empower Canadian maritime capability and support future sustainable growth."
To expand access and increase training capacity, the partnership will provide licenses for cloud-based simulation systems, enabling BCIT to extend learning beyond the campus—supporting flexible delivery, additional practice hours, and remote and distributed training models for its students, while also helping increase access to maritime education and skills development opportunities for Indigenous communities.
“The Marine Innovation Simulation Centre of Excellence speaks to the power of collaboration and partnership. This innovative project will enable the creation of new education and training programs, support small and medium-sized businesses to commercialize new products, and create the most advanced marine education research environment in Canada,” said Dr. Jeff Zabudsky, President of BCIT. “This unique partnership combines workforce development, applied research, and industry collaboration in one environment.”
“MISE reflects BCIT’s commitment to preparing the next generation of talent for Canada’s evolving marine sector,” said Jennifer Figner, Provost and Vice President, Academic, BCIT. “By expanding access to advanced maritime training and immersive learning opportunities, MISE will equip learners with the skills, experience, and industry connections needed to succeed in a rapidly changing sector. It will strengthen BCIT’s ability to deliver responsive, future-focused education that meets the needs of employers and communities across Canada.”
The Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Industry and Minister responsible for Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions, said: “Kongsberg's investment in the Marine Innovation Simulation Centre of Excellence in British Columbia, made through Canada's Industrial and Technological Benefits Policy, is a significant step forward for Canada's maritime sector. As the first national hub for maritime simulation and applied research, the centre will help address the shortage of certified mariners and drive innovation. It will also support Canadian small and medium-sized businesses in developing new products and bringing them to market, while strengthening Canada’s defence industrial base. It directly addresses a skills shortage that both commercial and DND operators have identified, in advance of the new fleets being delivered."
BCIT’s strong academic capability, applied research expertise, and educational leadership is central to the implementation and development of the project. Together, the partners expect the initiative to generate significant socio-economic value through workforce development, stronger industry–academia collaboration, innovation opportunities for Canadian small and medium-sized businesses, and broader knowledge transfer across the maritime sector. The project is also expected to support regional economic activity, strengthen sovereign industrial capability, and create long-term benefits for training, research, and commercialization in Canada.
Note: Kongsberg Gruppen ASA and Kongsberg Maritime AS are now two separately listed companies following the demerger of Kongsberg Gruppen. Kongsberg Maritime was listed as an independent global maritime technology company on Euronext Oslo Børs on 23 April 2026.
TDI-Brooks completed 2D HR survey off Trinidad & Tobago
TDI-Brooks has successfully completed a 2D high-resolution shallow hazard seismic survey offshore Trinidad & Tobago. The acquired and processed lines support de-risking efforts for a planned offshore cluster installation, as well as the subsequent drilling of wells from this structure. Through the acquisition, processing, and interpretation of the 2D high-resolution seismic data, the identified areas of interest have been effectively evaluated and risk-reduced. In total, approximately 80 line-kilometers were completed using TDI-Brooks’ vessel, R/V GYRE.
R/V GYRE has recently completed a surface geochemical exploration (SGE) project off Jamaica, a multibeam echo sounder (MBES) and environmental baseline survey (EBS) project off Aruba. The vessel is currently working off Liberia on a multi-client seep hunting project for GeoPartners Ltd. followed by a few-weeks project for the AAGP pipeline. We anticipate availability in early JULY .
For 30-years TDI-Brooks has stood at the forefront of oceanographic research, chartering and operating an impressive fleet of five oceanographic vessels. We operate our vessels globally on the spot market. Our Vessels – TDI Brooks International.
Hydromea & FAU win AUKUS grant to unlock the ocean's hidden data layer
Hydromea SA, the Swiss pioneer in subsea Free-Space Optical (FSO) communication, today announced that together with Florida Atlantic University (FAU) it has won a $1 million award granted through the AUKUS Maritime Innovation Challenge. The trilateral defence initiative - backed by the United States Defense Innovation Unit (DIU), Australia's Advanced Strategic Capabilities Accelerator (ASCA), and the United Kingdom's Defense and Security Accelerator (DASA) - is funding the joint team to develop a next-generation underwater communication and networking system capable of operating in contested and congested environments.
The project was selected from a highly competitive international pool of proposals from universities, research institutions, and industry across the US, UK, and Australia.
The Ocean Flies Blind
Despite hosting the world's most critical infrastructure - subsea energy pipelines, transcontinental data cables, and defence sensor networks - the ocean remains strikingly data-poor. Real-time wireless data exchange at depth is practically impossible with conventional technologies: radio waves and GPS do not penetrate seawater, and acoustic systems offer severely limited bandwidth. Vast volumes of sensor data sit stranded on the seabed, inaccessible unless a vessel physically retrieves them.
"The ocean is one of the most data-rich environments on the planet - and paradoxically the one we know the least about in real time. Thousands of sensors and vehicles generate critical intelligence on the seabed every day, and almost none of it reaches the surface in time to be actionable. Hydromea's FSO technology is the infrastructure layer the ocean has been missing. Combined with FAU's world-class expertise in acoustic networking, this award marks the moment we can bridge the gap between acoustic range and optical speed - opening a new era of ocean intelligence for both defence and civil domains."
- Igor Martin, CEO & Co-founder, Hydromea SA
Technology: Acoustic Range Meets Optical Speed
The joint FAU-Hydromea platform integrates two complementary technologies: long-range acoustic links for resilient wide-area command and control, and Hydromea's high-speed LUMA™ FSO optical modems for rapid, high-bandwidth data harvesting. This hybrid architecture resolves the fundamental trade-off that has constrained underwater operations for decades — the forced choice between range and throughput.
Hydromea's LUMA™ platform transmits at up to 10 Mbps, is pressure-certified to 12,000 meters depth, and delivers approximately 1,000× greater speed and 1,500× greater energy efficiency than acoustic alternatives. Its inherently low probability of intercept (LPI) profile makes it uniquely suited for covert, stealth data exchange in tactical underwater environments.
Testing will move from controlled lab environments in Switzerland and Florida to advanced field demonstrations off the coast of Australia, involving autonomous surface vessels, underwater vehicles, and stationary seabed systems. The project is estimated to be delivered in less than a year.
A New Market: Stealth Ocean Data Harvesting
The same hybrid architecture applicable to defence - persistent covert surveillance, anti-submarine warfare sensor nets, seabed domain awareness - applies equally to offshore energy monitoring, environmental science, and networked autonomous vehicle swarms. Together, acoustic and optical technologies open an entirely new category: subsea wireless broadband infrastructure - the ocean equivalent of the networks that transformed situational awareness above the waterline.
Impact Subsea launches Topside Control System and Advanced Subsea Multiplexer
Impact Subsea, a leading innovator in underwater technology, has announced the launch of Unity Topside Control System and seaMux Subsea Multiplexer.
Together, these two high-performance solutions are designed to streamline sensor integration, simplify telemetry and enhance data management for demanding subsea vehicle operations.
seaMux - Subsea Multiplexer
seaMux is a highly compact, titanium-housed subsea multiplexer engineered to support a wide range of underwater instrumentation, including sonars, profilers, altimeters, depth and Attitude and Heading Reference Systems (AHRS).
Rated for depths up to 6,000 meters, it is equally suited for shallow and deep-water applications.
The system features four versatile communication ports, each supporting Ethernet, RS232 or RS485 protocols.
To ensure scalability, users can daisy-chain multiple seaMux units together or leverage RS485 multidrop and y-splice cables to host multiple serial sensors on a single port.
Each port is paired with a software-controllable 24VDC power output featuring real-time power monitoring.
Data transmission to the surface is incredibly flexible, utilising either standard Ethernet or high-bandwidth VDSL telemetry over a single screened twisted pair.
Unity - Topside Control System
To complement the subsea hardware, Unity Control System serves as the topside control interface for the underwater sensor suite.
Housed in a 1U high, 19-inch rack-mountable form, Unity runs Impact Subsea’s powerful seaView software.
seaView allows operators to easily view, log and manage sensor data while facilitating data flow in and out of seaMux and Unity.
Mirroring the versatility of the subsea seaMux, the Unity system features four communication ports (each capable of providing RS232, RS485 or Ethernet) with software-controllable 24VDC power to manage local, topside connections.
A remarkable capability of the combined system is port bridging, which forms a seamless link between a port on seaMux and a port on Unity topside interface, allowing for the transparent throughput of any third-party data.
This allows Unity and seaMux to be used with a combination of Impact Subsea sensors and third party sensors. Or purely with third party sensors and instrumentation.
"seaMux is a compact and highly flexible subsea multiplexer," stated Ben Grant, Managing Director of Impact Subsea. "A complete sensor suite can be connected to seaMux and controlled from seaView running on Unity.
In addition to supporting Impact Subsea sensors, the system also allows connection of third party sensors and instrumentation.
Those looking for a compact and flexible subsea multiplexer and topside control system for use on underwater vehicles now have a new highly capable solution available to them".
Novacavi supports the POLARIS project developed by ETH Zurich
NOVACAVI is pleased to express its strong support for the POLARIS project, an innovative initiative led by ETH Zurich, one of the world’s leading universities for science and technology.
The POLARIS project involves the development of an advanced autonomous underwater vehicle designed for research applications in the fields of climate monitoring and security. One of the project’s main objectives is the accurate, non-invasive measurement of ice thickness from below. As the special vehicle moves beneath the lake surface, it continuously collects data, generating a high-resolution dataset capable of mapping the spatial distribution of ice thickness.
This pioneering approach enables the collection of highly precise data without the need to drill through the ice, thereby avoiding surface disturbance and significantly reducing risks for personnel operating in extreme environmental conditions.
Within this demanding operational context, NOVACAVI contributes to the project through the development of a neutrally buoyant cable, an integral component that ensures system reliability, enhances vehicle manoeuvrability, and supports overall mission safety.
“We are proud to support ETH Zurich in this groundbreaking endeavour,” said Francesca Faverio, Business Development Manager of NOVACAVI “The POLARIS project exemplifies the type of forward-thinking innovation that is essential to better understand and protect our environment, while ensuring safety and operational excellence in extreme conditions.”
First fleet of 10 autonomous gliders deployed by the CNRS to explore Mediterranean marine ecosystems
Ten autonomous underwater gliders were deployed in the Ligurian Sea in mid-June as part of Mission 6 under the "Deep Seabed" Priority Objective (Objective No. 10) of the France 2030 funding plan, entrusted to the CNRS.
This deployment marks the first milestone in the development of a multi-variable, multi-scale environmental data atlas for the northwestern Mediterranean Sea, based on the use of
autonomous underwater gliders.
One of the ten strategic priorities of the France 2030 funding plan, "Investing in the Deep Seabed," was launched by the French government to strengthen the country's industrial competitiveness and accelerate the development of next-generation technologies. Among its objectives is the development of innovative technologies for deep-sea exploration, including highly autonomous exploration systems.
The Mission n°6, led by the CNRS, forms part of this initiative and is dedicated to creating a multidimensional environmental data atlas covering the northwestern Mediterranean and French Polynesia.
The mission aims to improve our understanding of the physical, biogeochemical and biological dynamics of marine ecosystems, as well as how they are evolving under increasing anthropogenic pressures such as maritime traffic, ocean acidification and climate change. It relies on an innovative approach combining coordinated fleets of autonomous underwater gliders, multi-parameter sensing technologies and intelligent mission management. This will enable researchers to investigate how ocean fronts and eddies influence the distribution of plankton communities, vertical nutrient and energy fluxes, and the impact of underwater noise on marine ecosystems. Particular emphasis will also be placed on biodiversity through the use of innovative monitoring technologies, including environmental DNA (eDNA) and in situ imaging.
On June 17th 2026, the CNRS and ALSEAMAR—the industrial partner selected for the first phase of Mission n°6—deployed a fleet of ten SEAEXPLORER autonomous underwater gliders in the Ligurian Sea. Launched from the Institut de la Mer de Villefranche-sur-Mer, the gliders will operate for one month in an area characterized by intense hydrodynamic activity and located within a marine mammal sanctuary. Capable of diving to depths of up to 1,000 meters and transmitting data via satellite, the autonomous vehicles are equipped with acoustic and physical sensors to provide detailed observations of ambient underwater noise, ocean currents, eddies and their influence on marine ecosystems. The data collected will then be processed by the project's scientific teams and incorporated into the multidimensional environmental atlas.
The next phases of Mission 6 include deployments in the Gulf of Lion in 2028 to test innovative sensors, followed by a campaign in French Polynesia in 2028–2029, where autonomous gliders and autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) will operate in coordination to explore seamounts. Between 2029 and 2030, the resulting data and scientific findings will be integrated into the environmental atlas and widely disseminated, supporting France 2030's broader ambitions for ocean observation and preservation.