The Department of Transport has been advised by Xocean of an operation in the Celtic Sea involving remotely piloted uncrewed surface vessels (USVs).
The vessels will primarily be engaged in survey activities between 73 and 125 nautical miles south of Co Cork, in UK waters, but will transit through Irish Waters to and from Kinsale, Co Cork which will be the designated port for launch and recovery. It is expected there will be up to 3 USVs operational at any one time.
Survey operations will begin on Monday 28 October and will be ongoing for approximately five months, subject to operational and weather constraints.
Although the USVs are uncrewed, they are managed on a 24-hour operational basis. They are piloted remotely using 360-degree cameras and other navigational aids. The USVs send real-time images and situational awareness data over satellite to a team of operators keeping watch and controlling the vessel remotely.
Each USV measures 4.5m in length and 2.2m in beam width, and is equipped with the following safety appliances to make it conspicuous to other marine traffic:
- AIS
- Navigation lights and sound signal
- Active radar reflector
- Superstructure painted yellow
Seafarers are asked to avoid contact with the vessel and be aware of the operational area during this period.
Coordinates and a map of the transit route as well as contact details can be found in Marine Notice No 58 of 2024, attached below.
