Aberdeen-based underwater robotics HonuWorx said it has delivered a world-first in underwater robotics as it unveils plans for a fleet of uncrewed submarines to capture a 20% share of the $3.2 billion subsea services market.
The underwater robotics company said it deployed an ROV (Remotely Operated Vehicle) from a fully autonomous and uncrewed “mothership” submarine, all controlled from shore via the cloud.
Last month, HonuWorx said it received a seven-figure investment. Melrose-based Tricapital Angels and Scottish Enterprise delivered the investment round, along with UK Innovation and Science Seed Fund (UKI2S), which invested in HonuWorx for a second time.
“The test proves the viability of its submersible system known as ‘Loggerhead’, which removes the need for large fossil-fuelled surface ships to transport and deploy subsea robots such as ROVs, creating a cleaner, more cost-effective and safer deployment method to that which has been typically used in the industry for more than 40 years,” said HonuWorx.
“HonuWorx now plans to develop a fleet of Loggerhead submarines to capture a 20% share of the $3.2bn global market for subsea inspection, repair and maintenance across oil and gas, offshore wind and defence within the next decade.
“The submersibles, which can be controlled from anywhere around the world, are all-electric and ultra-long endurance for travelling directly from port to a worksite, such as an oilfield or wind farm.”
HonuWorx said it is now “geared for rapid growth” as it kicks off “the first phase of a £30m investment raise in the coming months, construction of the first Loggerhead commercial pilot system in 2025, and plans to treble headcount over the next 2-3 years.”
Through wider expansion, the firm said that by 2030 it plans to develop a fleet of at least 10 Loggerhead units, with a longer-term goal of having 50 of the submersibles operating around the world.
During testing off Canada’s Pacific coastline, HonuWorx deployed a Seatronics VALOR ROV from a large autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) provided by Cellula Robotics in Vancouver. The entire operation was controlled from shore, harnessing satellite communications and HonuWorx’s proprietary cloud-based software.
The project was supported by energy majors TotalEnergies and Shell alongside the Net Zero Technology Centre (NZTC). Additional technology field testing has been delivered over the last 10 months including the system’s state-of-the-art communications buoy and variable autonomy architecture.
HonuWorx CEO Lee Wilson said: “HonuWorx was created because the economics, safety and carbon emissions of subsea work could only be meaningfully improved by removing the large ships needed to deploy divers or subsea remotely operated vehicles.
“We are going to change the way the world works underwater, accelerating the energy transition, and enabling the safe and sustainable scaling of subsea robotics for a growing blue economy.”