The 78m by 15m vessel Armada 78 01 is the first of eight ‘robot’ ships being built for offshore survey work.
VARD
Houston, Texas-based marine robotics company Ocean Infinity has taken delivery of the 78m by 15m vessels Armada 78 01 and Armada 78 02 from Vietnam’s Vard Vung Tau shipyard as the first two of eight similar ships that will form part of the company’s robotic Armada fleet. The fuel-efficient vessels, to be used for offshore survey work, will initially operate with a skeleton crew but in due course will be entirely controlled from shore-based control centres. They have also been prepared to operate on green ammonia, with fuel cell and battery technology to assist in providing a very low carbon footprint. A set of six larger 85m multi-purpose vessels has also been ordered from Vard and is to be delivered by the Vietnam facility in 2025. JS