First Marine Vehicle Classed Using ABS Autonomous Guide

November 6, 2023

Left to right: Mark Cuyler, Saildrone COO; Brendan Mullan, Saildrone Sr. Project Manager; Daniel Grossman, ABS Senior Surveyor, San Francisco Port; and Daryl Bangar, ABS Director, Business Development North America. (Photo: ABS)

The Saildrone Voyager, a 10-meter commercial uncrewed surface vehicle (USV), is the first autonomous asset built to ABS Class using the ABS Requirements for Autonomous and Remote Control Functions. ABS presented the Class certificate to Saildrone at its headquarters in Alameda, Calif.

The Voyager is a marine vehicle developed by Saildrone, a provider of ocean data for climate, mapping and maritime security applications using uncrewed autonomous assets. ABS issued approval in principle (AIP) to the Voyager earlier this year, a key step to full classification.

“Uncrewed drone vehicles have huge potential to change the way we operate at sea and are a first step toward commercial autonomous vessels. ABS is a leader in this space, working with key partners all over the world to support development and adoption of the technologies and strategies autonomous shipping will be built on. Saildrone Voyager is exciting technology and a key milestone on the road to more autonomous operations, and we are proud to be able to use our experience to support it,” said Patrick Ryan, ABS Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer.

“Saildrone has spent three years maturing the Voyager design to be the industry leader in capability, reliability and safety in the uncrewed vehicle sector,” said Richard Jenkins, CEO and founder of Saildrone. “This classification from the American Bureau of Shipping defines the new gold standard for uncrewed systems and underscores the maturity of our technology.”