Posted on May 4, 2026
VO:X Barentsz, Van Oord’s first unmanned survey vessel purpose-built for offshore operations, has completed its first multi-day deployment at Ecowende‘s Hollandse Kust West offshore wind farm. The vessel supported the monopile and cable installation works executed by installation vessels Boreas, Nexus and Subsea Viking.
This marks an important milestone in the further roll-out of remote, unmanned survey operations offshore. By deploying unmanned survey technology, we are able to monitor critical infrastructure efficiently, safely and with minimal environmental impact while maintaining the highest survey standards. This is essential to ensuring the integrity and long-term reliability of offshore assets, such as subsea cables.
John van der Marel, USV lead at Van Oord: “With the deployment of VO:X Barentsz, we demonstrated how unmanned survey vessels can operate remotely over multiple days, delivering high-quality data while continuing to advance innovation in offshore surveying.”
