ABS Issues Certificate for the World’s Largest Classed Unmanned Surface Vehicle

20-Meter Saildrone Surveyor Offers Unmanned Deepwater Transoceanic Journeys

ABS awarded Classification to the Saildrone Surveyor, a fully autonomous deepwater unmanned surface vehicle (USV).

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Saildrone Surveyor - Courtesy Saildrone Technologies

At 20 meters long and capable of unmanned operations across all of the world’s oceans, the Surveyor breaks new ground. The Surveyor is the largest class of USVs from Saildrone, a provider of maritime security, ocean mapping, and meteorological and oceanographic data using unmanned autonomous assets.

“ABS and Saildrone are pioneering new frontiers, setting the pace for innovation. This step forward is a result of our investments in ABS’ technical capability and helping to ensure our Rules are able to support innovation with an unwavering focus on safety,” said Patrick Ryan, ABS Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer.

“The ABS class certification is more than a certificate—it’s a signal to governments and the maritime industry that Saildrone USVs are mature, safe, tested, and ready for scale,” said Richard Jenkins, Saildrone founder and CEO. “It’s been a very large investment and a multi-year process to achieve ABS Class Certification, but we are proud to be the first company in the world to do so and proud that our systems have reached the highest standards as required by the ABS Class certificate.”

The 20-meter Surveyor is capable of long-endurance missions in the open ocean, collecting deep-ocean bathymetry and performing a wide range of maritime domain awareness tasks. This milestone follows the smaller 10-meter Voyager, which achieved ABS Class in 2023 andis designed for persistent surveillance in coastal and near-shore environments. Saildrone USVs are capable of fully autonomous operations with no human onboard and are remotely monitored 24 hours a day, seven days a week by the company’s global Mission Management team.

ABS is collaborating with industry, government regulators and stakeholders in the design and implementation of the world’s most advanced remote-control and autonomous technology. Learn more here.

About ABS

ABS, a global leader in classification services, is focused on delivering a safer, cleaner future for the marine and offshore industries. For over 160 years, ABS has been setting standards for safety and excellence and continues to innovate in the fields of clean technology, digitalization and artificial intelligence, providing industry-leading technical advisory services. With a global network of surveyors, engineers, technology specialists and support staff, ABS works with industry leaders including its members and clients around the world to improve safety in operational performance and efficiency with innovative solutions for the complete life cycle of marine and offshore assets.

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