ECUVE: Environmental Control with Unmmaned Vessels

The proposed R&D&I activity consists of carrying out a product innovation project aimed at the development of USV. USVs appear as a complementary solution to manned vessels, although in some applications they are an alternative to manned vessels. In summary, it can be said that USVs are suitable for maritime activities that are hazardous to crews or are of a repetitive nature or require continuous operation. The advantages of using USVs over manned systems for the above-mentioned applications are:

• Risk reduction for crews in hazardous situations.
• Cost reduction by not having to embark crews.
• They allow continuous operation only limited by available fuel.
• Ability to operate in adverse sea conditions.
• Faster deployment of the vessel as it is unmanned.
• They can be deployed and operated from land or from a mother ship, allowing them to increase their radius of action.

The overall objective of the ECUVE project is to develop a system based on unmanned vessels known as USVs. In terms of uses, the product is suitable for a variety of naval applications, in particular those of a repetitive nature, requiring rapid intervention or posing a risk to crews. In particular, the specific objective of the project is to focus on environmental monitoring and control in the marine domain. Another specific objective is that the operation of the system will be carried out jointly by UTEK and PLOCAN in the latter’s facilities.