Endura NRG, which features a grabber arm for stability enabling it to stay anchored in high currents, is yet another major product development for the oil and gas industry from Aquabotix, which listed in the ASX at the end of April.

 

The drone is designed to be more steady and dependable, particularly for the offshore energy market where companies are dealing with volatile tides and currents, and can also be applied to onshore energy markets including infrastructure, dams, cooling ponds or tanks or reservoirs. 

 

Aquabotix CEO Durval Tavares said that as energy demands continued to rise and energy producers increasingly pursued offshore supplies, users needed a vehicle that could thrive in high-current situations.

 

Woodside Petroleum chief operations officer Mike Utsler said recently that it was estimated 25% of the world's oil and gas production would come from subsea fields by 2030.

 

He said it was advancements in new subsea technology that enabled Woodside to start talking about expanding the Pluto LNG facility in Western Australia this year.

 

"Through its ability to maintain battery life for a full work day and better acclimate to unpredictable waters, Endura NRG is the ultimate mini-ROV for the energy market," Tavares said.

 

Aquabotix is one of the few companies globally offering commercially available hybrid underwater drones capable of both autonomous and remote operation.

 

It owns the intellectual property in a range of unmanned underwater vehicles and underwater camera products.

 

Aquabotix was the first underwater drone publicly traded company globally when it listed on the Australian Securities Exchange.

 

The company has its global headquarters in Massachusetts, the hub for technology and robotics innovations on the US east coast.