After a failed attempt in 2017, Norway's Offshore Sensing has succeeded in getting an unmanned vessel to cross the Atlantic Ocean. The Sailbuoy Met, as the vessel is called, set sail in Newfoundland on 7 June 2018 to dock some 3,000 km east in Ireland on 26 August.
Last year, the same company's Sailbuoy Wave covered some 4,500 km in 2 months. Eventually, the vessel was picked up by a fishing boat halfway across the Atlantic. After examining the vessel, it was found that a loose propeller had short-circuited the autopilot system. Without it, the mission proved unfeasible. But even at sea, perseverance wins out.
The Sailbuoy was developed as an offshore sensing platform that receives instructions via satellite. Tracking of the vessel and data collection are via the same Iridium satellite system. The sensors will be used for water quality surveys, oil spill detection, wave measurements and collection of meteorological and oceanographic data, among others. Wind is used for movement. Solar panels on the top of the vessel provide power to the electronics via a battery set.
According to Offshore Sensing, wind conditions ranged from absolute calm to hurricane-like conditions during the voyage. Nothing apparently prevented the unmanned vessel from reaching Ireland. The 'counter' showed some 5,100 kilometres on arrival.
