[S7XHEX2A7FE3JOJV3DZB4Q24IQ.jpg] People watch as a drilling rig, owned
and operated by Italian oil and gas industry contractor Saipem, floats
by on the Bosphorus Strait en route to the Black Sea in Istanbul in
2019. Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri has a new agreement with the
energy company aimed at integrating underwater surveillance drones.
(Photo credit should read Ozan Kose/AFP via Getty Images)
ROME — Italian shipyard Fincantieri has signed another cooperation deal
on [1]subsea technology as it pushes into the growing market for
underwater drones and cable and pipeline protection.
The firm signed a memorandum of understanding with Italian energy firm
Saipem to develop ways to integrate Saipem’s autonomous underwater
vehicles with Fincantieri’s ships and submarines.
“The agreement aims to enable the two companies to participate in major
programmes in the Italian and international markets in the area of
surveillance and control of critical underwater infrastructure and
rescue activities,” Fincantieri said in a statement.
Interest in how to protect undersea energy pipelines and
telecommunications cables was [2]triggered in 2022 by the Nordstream
pipeline attack in the Baltic Sea and boosted by recent reports of
cable failures in the Red Sea amid Houthi attacks on shipping.
To date, the oil and gas industry has moved faster than the defense
sector when it comes to undersea infrastructure maintenance and
monitoring.
Saipem claims it is the first company in the world to sell an
autonomous undersea drone that can operate at 3,000 meters depth.
The firm’s Hydrone-R drone can remain underwater for 12 months using
docking stations linked to the surface for recharging and relaying
data.
Last year, the firm briefed military officials on the technology at a
meeting hosted by the Italian Navy as it scouted technologies to
include in a joint EU seabed security program it is heading up.
The pact between Saipem and Fincantieri was signed on Tuesday at the
Rome headquarters of the Italian Navy.
The deal was the latest in a series of agreements in the sector signed
by Fincantieri.
Last year the company teamed with Italy’s Leonardo to work on undersea
drone technology, as well as with companies Remazel and W-Sense.
Tom Kington is the Italy correspondent for Defense News.
References
1.
https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2024/01/04/european-navies-try-to-keep-up-in-cat-and-mouse-game-of-seabed-warfare/
2.
https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2023/01/09/europeans-wade-into-fighting-seabed-threats-with-drones-and-sensors/
