Ørsted colleagues at Grimsby preparing for the uncrewed surface vessel trialsHornsea 3 is trialling an uncrewed surface vessel (USV) ahead of upcoming seabed surveys for the installation of wind turbines and offshore cables. The USV will map the seabed across the 696km
2 Hornsea 3 area, providing data to support foundation installation and cable routing.
The decision to deploy a USV was driven by safety, sustainability and efficiency. With no crew on board, the risk of injury and fatigue-related accidents is eliminated. The vessel requires fewer moving parts and less equipment, and its ability to remain offshore for extended periods reduces fuel consumption and carbon emissions, while minimising impact on the marine ecosystem.
Jason Ledden, Ørsted’s senior project director at Hornsea 3, said: “We will be using this new technology on Hornsea 3 for almost two years, greatly improving the safety of our team which can operate the USV from onshore control rooms instead of venturing offshore. It will also save time and fuel and improve the information we collect — helping us build the world’s single largest offshore wind farm in the safest, most efficient and sustainable way possible.”
Trials have already proved successful, and the USV will also carry radio equipment to expand communications capacity and act as a wave buoy, contributing to weather monitoring across the wind farm. The vessel has been developed and built by
Ørsted and forms part of the company’s own fleet of USVs.