In August 2018, Bibby HydroMap undertook the UK’s first-ever unmanned survey at an operational offshore wind farm.

Besides proving the effectiveness of its new DriX autonomous vessel, the trial was a watershed moment for the industry: proving that autonomous vessels can provide higher-quality survey data in less time and at a lower cost than traditional methods. This O&M Case Study, by Alistair Lee, details Bibby’s successful survey of four turbines and three inter-array cables at Gwynt y Môr, looking at the technology, the benefits of autonomous surveying, and the key challenges for the industry as robotics and autonomous systems become more prevalent.