FugroTwo autonomous environmental landers have been deployed off the coast Saudi Arabia to collect data in remote and deep areas of the Red Sea. This year-long effort is being done in collaboration with King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, (KAUST), to better understand the local ecosystem and support Saudi Vision 2030. Saudi Vision 2030 is the country’s economic and social framework for a sustainable future.
Fugro’s first Middle East use of the new lander technology is in the KAUST red sea programme. Deepwater landers were created in partnership with Ocean Data Solutions, a commercial investment company and philanthropic organization. They are cost-effective, easily reconfigurable and reusable, making them ideal for large quantities of oceanographic data in waters that have not been studied in the past. Multiple sensors can be installed on the landers to monitor and measure environmental parameters for several months in depths of 10 to 6000m.
ODS President Katherine Hall commented on the Red Sea deployment and said that ODS was founded in the belief that a healthy sea is essential for our ability to sustain healthy populations, strong economies, and our future here on Earth. An ocean that is known and healthy is essential for understanding and addressing challenges such as sea-level rise, food security, and scaling up solutions for renewable ocean energy, sustainable aquaculture, and other issues. We are confident in our partnership with Fugro regarding the deepwater lander programme, and our collaboration with KAUST to allow us to make greater impacts and contribute to our mission.
Fugro Regional Metocean Manager Youssef Amani also commented: We are grateful for this strategic collaboration between ODS and KAUST as the autonomous technology brings Fugro closer to our goal to safe and efficient operations in support clean energy projects and more sustainable infrastructure. We believe that our new deepwater landing systems will bring new levels of ocean data collection to Fugro, which will allow us to contribute to a safer and more sustainable world.
