SOLUTION / PUBLIC SOURCE RECORD
Offshore Sensing's green ocean drone collects data in the roughest seas
- Published 30 June 2022; updated 21 September 2026; estimated reading time 3 minutes. Listed as available under Maritime (operations, management and digital solutions) and Environmental monitoring (Technology).
- Offshore Sensing’s SailBuoy is a 2-metre unmanned surface vehicle for long-duration collection of oceanographic and meteorological data in remote areas and rough seas. The company says it can remain at sea for months, operate in storm-force winds and handle waves up to 12 metres.
- It navigates autonomously and sends data to and from shore in real time by satellite. A historical demonstration crossed the Atlantic from Newfoundland to Norway via Ireland: 7,800 km over 118 days.
- The article positions SailBuoy as a complement to crewed research vessels for routine data collection, leaving onboard scientists to perform work that needs people and shipboard equipment. It cites vessel operating costs of USD 10,000–20,000 per day.
- Applications listed include tracking oil spills, acting as a communications relay for subsea instruments, water-quality surveys, wave measurements, echosounder surveys and locating fish stocks. The page suggests offshore-wind site assessment as another use and describes potential fisheries fleets surveying large areas to reduce fuel spent searching for fish.
- The vehicle uses wind for propulsion and solar power for electronics and actuators; the company describes it as emission-free and a lower-cost, lower-impact data-collection option than fossil-fuel vessels.
- Market context: the article cites a forecast of USD 63.6 billion for the drone-services market by 2025 (a dated projection). SailBuoy was introduced in 2015 and the page says it was in use in Europe and the Americas, with planned expansion into fisheries and offshore wind.
- Linked to SDG 9, Industry, innovation and infrastructure, and SDG 14, Life below water, through more sustainable ocean data gathering.
- Contact: David Peddie, CTO, david@sailbuoy.no. Phone number is behind a collapsed reveal control. Company: OFFSHORE SENSING AS, Fantoftvegen 38, 5072 Bergen, Norway; sailbuoy.no.