Saildrone Surveyor USV achieves full ABS classification

A Saildrone Surveyor USV operates near the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. (Saildrone)

Saildrone's Surveyor unmanned surface vehicle (USV) has received full classification from the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS), the company announced on 27 August. The Surveyor joins Saildrone's Voyager coastal and near-shore USV, which received ABS class certification in 2023, the statement noted.

“No other USV or UUV [unmanned underwater vehicle] has yet received full classification status from any classification society,” according to the Saildrone statement, which added that ABS is the “first to grant full class to an unmanned platform”.

The ABS classification is an “internationally recognized standard for safety, design integrity, and operational reliability”, the statement noted.

“The classification notation assigned is ✠A1, DV Naval Craft, AUTONOMOUS (NAV, MNV, PRP, AUX, RO3), which follows the ‘Rules for Building and Classing Light Warships, Patrol, and High-Speed Naval Vessels (2023)',” the statement added.

The milestone “means ABS has formally recognised the vessel as meeting the same rigorous design, safety, and operational standards as a crewed ship and entered it into their official register”, Saildrone president John Mustin told Janes on 29 August, adding that “it's the difference between signalling ambition and being recognised as a true seagoing vessel, underscoring the extreme reliability and proven maturity of the Saildrone design”.

“Saildrone's fleet has accumulated millions of miles and years of continuous operations at sea, proving a level of maturity and reliability necessary to satisfy ABS' full review,” he continued. “In many ways, classification sets the bar that all USVs will ultimately need to reach if they are to be trusted for real-world operations,” Mustin said.

Classification process