The global market for autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) reached $671.5 million in 2017

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Feb 12, 2018, 12:11 ET

NEW YORK, Fev. 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The global market for autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) reached $671.5 million in 2017. The market should reach $835.0 million by 2022, growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4.5% from 2017 to 2022.

Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05312881

• The global market for AUVs in commercial application reached $441.8 million in 2017. The market should reach $537.2 million by 2022, growing at a CAGR of 4% from 2017 to 2022.
• The global market for AUVs in military and defense sector reached $170.6 million in 2017. The market should reach $229.0 million by 2022, growing at a CAGR of 6.1% from 2017 to 2022.

Chapter 1: Introduction

Study Goals and Objectives
An autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV), also referred to as an unmanned underwater vehicle, is a marine robot used for a wide range of oceanographic and military tasks including underwater surveys, inspection of submerged structures, tracking oceanographic features, undersea mapping, laying undersea cable, searching for downed aircraft and finding naval sea mines.

An AUV represents a turnkey survey solution for military, commercial and scientific applications. An AUV carries an array of sensors and custom payload modules, making it ideal for monitoring or surveillance tasks where autonomy, cost and ease of deployment matter. Its modular design allows for rapid sensor reconfiguration and battery replacement.

This report focuses on four product families of AUVs: portable, low weight, heavyweight and large size. Which one of these types of AUV is selected by end users or marine contractors depends on the mission to be accomplished, whether in the military, commercial or scientific arena.

The six application segments covered in this report are: search and salvage; inspection, maintenance and repair (IMR) of oil and gas pipelines; military and defense; hydrographic survey; scientific research; and deep mining.

The search and salvage segment is further divided into two subsegments: asset location and marine archaeology. The military and defense segment is divided into five subsegments: antisubmarine warfare; intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance; mine countermeasures; force protection; and explosive ordinance disposal.

The hydrographic survey segment is divided into 11 subsegments: beach surveys; cable deployment; cable routing; coastal mapping; freshwater; geophysics surveys; harbor and port security; hull inspection; mineral surveys; oceanography; and oil and gas exploration surveys.

The report provides data on the size and projected growth of numerous AUV markets, as well as industry trends. The goal of this report is to provide a comprehensive multi-client study of AUVs and to identify potential business opportunities.

Another key objective is to provide realistic market data and forecasts for the AUV market. This study provides a thorough and up-to-date account of currently available AUVs in a multi-client format, in order to help companies design market strategies.

Reasons for Doing This Study
The report considers the prospective demand for AUVs in the commercial, military and research sectors over the next five years. Highest growth is expected to come from the commercial sector, which will enable a wide range of applications to emerge in the offshore oil and gas industry (life-of-field, pipeline inspections and rig moves) and also in civil hydrography, in addition to existing pipeline route surveys.

The study reveals that North America will continue to dominate global AUV expenditures, which predominantly come from military unmanned technology. Africa and Latin America are forecast to experience the highest growth, driven by deepwater oil and gas activities in deep sea bed.

Demand in Asia will be come from varied sources, including research activities in Japan, deepwater expenditures in India, Indonesia and Malaysia, and military investments in China. The report will look at the significant changes taking place due to the use of AUVs by offshore oil and gas companies, undersea communication cable deployment and inspection companies, undersea deep mining, international and national hydrographic survey agencies, marine-related missions, undersea asset recovery and salvage, marine archaeology and scientific ocean research agencies. The report will also look at the growing use of state-of-the-art acoustic communication technologies and new sensors technologies.

Intended Audience The audience for this study includes marketing executives, business unit managers and other decisionmakers in the arena of AUVs. This report will also be of interest to AUV marine contractors, AUV component and sensor developers, government agencies, the military, commercial and scientific research communities, undersea research institutes, companies involved in undersea deep mining and under ice exploration, offshore oil and gas companies, undersea communication cable deployment and inspection companies, and hydrographic survey agencies.

Scope of Report
This report encompasses the current status and future prospects of the four types of AUVs: portable, lightweight, heavyweight and large vehicles. It looks at six application segments: search and salvage; inspection, maintenance, repair of offshore oil and gas pipelines; military and defense; hydrographic surveys; scientific research; and deep-sea mining. It covers four regions: North America, Europe, AsiaPacific and rest of world (ROW).

The report identifies and evaluates those AUV markets with high growth potential. It also quantifies the important market developments for the sensors used in AUVs.
The report also covers the many issues concerning the future prospects for the AUV technologies business, and covers in detail the corporate strategies and key economic and technological issues.
For many of the main players in the AUV market, their competitive position is practically guaranteed due to protected and patented technologies used by OEMs. The companies that sell AUVs on the international market include Kongsberg Maritime, Hydroid (now a wholly owned subsidiary of Kongsberg Maritime), Bluefin Robotics (now a subsidiary of General Dynamics Mission Systems), Teledyne Gavia (previously known as Hafmynd), International Submarine Engineering (ISE) Ltd., Atlas Elektronik and OceanScan.

Manufacturers of AUVs for each sector must adhere to standards conforming to each targeted user country and follow statutory and mandatory guidelines for acceptance. The U.S., Europe and Japan have stringent standards concerning AUVs in targeted applications.

Estimated values used are based on manufacturers' total revenues. Projected and forecasted revenue values are in constant U.S. dollars, unadjusted for inflation.

Information Sources
An exhaustive search of the literature on AUVs was conducted. These sources included the latest press releases on company websites, including corporate and product news; AUV-related magazines (e.g., Marine Technology, Sea Technology, Unmanned Systems Hydro International, Offshore, Defense & Security Systems International, U.S., and International Ocean Systems), technical journals (Marine Technology Society Autonomous Journal, Procedia Engineering), technical books (Design and Control of Autonomous Underwater Robots), annual reports, security analyst reports on AUVs and other technology business digests.

Sources consulted on AUVs included the following organizations, agencies, research labs and educational institutions:
• International Hydrographic Organization (IHO).
• National Oceanographic Centre (NOC).
• National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
• Norwegian Defense Research Establishment (FFI).
• Fraunhofer Institute of Optronics System Technology & Image Exploration (IOSB).
• Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC).
• Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI).
• Society for Underwater Technology (SUT).
• International Seabed Authority (ISA).
• Shenyang Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Science.
• Bureau of Oceanological Engineers (BOE).
• Interoceanmetal Joint Organization (IOM).
• Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
• Korea Ocean Research & Development Institute.
• Autonomous Undersea Vehicle Application Center (AUVAC).
• Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI).
• Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI).
• Marine Technology Center.
• National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT).

In addition, online research papers pertaining to AUVs published by various U.S., European, Chinese and South Korean universities and research institutes were studied.
The second phase involved telephone interviews and e-mail correspondence with personnel in companies that offer AUVs for the targeted application segments. This involved interaction with AUV product line experts, suppliers, design engineers, consulting companies, other technical experts, government officials and trade association officials, as well as marine project contractor personnel.

Methodology
The research methodology was qualitative in nature and employed triangulation in approach, thus aiding in establishing validity. Initially, an exhaustive search of the literature on the application of AUVs was conducted. These secondary sources included journals and related books, trade literature, marketing literature, other product and promotional literature, annual reports, security analyst reports and other publications. Patent searches and analyses were also conducted.

In a second phase, a series of telephone interviews and e-mail correspondence was conducted with marketing executives, product sales engineers, international sales managers, application engineers and other personnel from companies that offer AUVs. Other sources included AUV magazines, academics, technology suppliers, technical experts, trade association officials, government officials and consulting companies. Subsequent analysis of the documents and interview notes was iterative.

To further understand the six application segments, this study measured total revenue earned by the top 20 manufacturers of AUVs. Data were also gathered from news documents published by leading marine contractors undertaking usage of AUVs for a variety of missions.

For the price of AUVs, sales figures for 2016, 2017 and 2022 and the 2016 to 2022 CAGR are derived from available regional data on six applications from the marine industry journals, 10 years' worth of historical data from research publications and research reports published by international agencies.

Also studied were projects announced by regional governments for 2016 through 2022.
The AUVs selected were done so according to region and scope of work. The final configuration of basic machine, navigation and sensor architecture was based on meeting end-user requirements. Other factors considered for deciding the configuration of AUVs depended on sea topography, client scope of work, measurement parameters, area of navigation. depth of survey, size of project, complexity of the project, risk involved, ocean environment, risk of the AUV sinking (insurance cost included in cost of purchase).

The knowledge of experts in this area is critical to determining the price structure for AUVs for each project. Besides this, the AUV market for each application required contacting specialists experienced in AUV operations.

The following agencies, companies and organizations approached were:
1) Search and salvage centric applications Published records at websites of marine contractors such as Helix Energy Solutions Group, Inc., C&C Technologies (now Oceaneering International Inc.), Omaxe Marine Exploration Inc., Deep Down Inc., DeepOcean Group, Phoenix International Holdings Inc., Ocean Infinity, and Subsea7. Other sources included the following magazines and websites.
2) Offshore oil and gas pipeline inspection applications Websites of defense contractors such as Helix Energy Solutions Group, Inc., C&C Technologies (now Oceaneering International Inc.), Omaxe Marine Exploration, Inc., Deep Down Inc., DeepOcean Group, Phoenix International Holdings Inc., Ocean Infinity, Subsea7. Other sources included news published by offshore oil and gas exploration companies such as Chevron, BP, Shell, ExxonMobil Petrobras, Total, etc. The AUVs selected for each Inspection, maintenance and repair (oil and gas pipelines), project and design according to region and according to scope of work.
3) Military and defense Defense contractors General Dynamics, Lockheed Martin, BAE Systems, ECA, Atlas Elektronik, US Navy and Norwegioan Defence Research Establishment (FFI).
4) Hydrographic survey International Hydrographic Organization (IHO), International Bed Authority, National Oceanographic Center (NOC), UK, National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), U.S., Society for Underwater Technology (SUT), U.S. and published data from magazines such as Sea Technology, Unmanned System, Hydro International, Marine Technology SocietyJournal, Offshore, International Ocean Systems.
5) Scientific research International Hydrographic Organization (IHO), National Oceanographic Center (NOC), UK, National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Fraunhofer Institute of Optronics System Technology & Image Exploration (IOSB), Germany, Japanese Agency for Marine Earth Science and Technology, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), U.S., Society for Underwater Technology (SUT), U.S., and published data from magazines such as Sea Technology , Unmanned System , Hydro International , Marine Technology Society-Journal , Offshore , International Ocean Systems.
6) Deep sea mining The data on global mine production, reserves, resources, substitutes and demand comes from the USGS mineral commodity summaries 2015; United States Geological Survey: Washington, World Ocean Resources 3, Sea Floor mining

Geographic Breakdown

In this report, the geographic regions considered for market analysis include, and only include:
North America
• United States.
• Mexico.
• Canada.
Europe
• U.K.
• France.
• Germany.
• Italy.
• Russia.

Asia
• Japan
• China
• Australia
• India
• Malaysia
• Indonesia

ROW
• South America.
• Africa.

Autonomous Underwater Vehicles, by Type
Man-portable class
The lightwieght class
The heavyweight class
The large vehicle class

Autonomous Underwater Vehicle, by End Use
Military and defense
Antisubmarine warfare
Intelligence suveillance and reconnaissance
Mine countermeasure
Force protection
Explosive ordinance disposal

Commercial
Search and salvage
Inspection, maintanance and repair
Hydrographic survey
Deep sea mining

Scientific research

Autonomous Underwater Vehicles, by Application
Search and salvage applications, archeology and exploration
Inspection, maintenance and repair of offshore oil and gas pipeline
Military and defense
Hydrographic survey
Scientific research
Deep sea mining

Chapter 2: Summary and Highlights
An autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) is a robot that travels underwater without requiring input from an operator. AUVs constitute part of a larger group of undersea systems known as unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs), a classification that includes non-autonomous remotely operated underwater vehicles (ROVs), which are controlled and powered from the surface by an operator/pilot via an umbilical or by using remote control. In military applications, an AUV is more often referred to as unmanned undersea vehicle (UUV). Underwater gliders are a subclass of AUVs.

Field-resident AUV systems will see increasing deployment in the inspection of oil- and gas-producing companies' subsea assets, where they will lead to earlier detection of problems. This will lead to a reduction in downtime for field maintenance, and of course better stewardship of the environment.

The underwater environment is extremely challenging for robots. Counterintuitive hydrodynamics response, poor visual capabilities, complex sonar interactions, communications inaccessibility and power endurance are significant design constraints. Robot builders do provide stable control and reliable operation at all times due to the unacceptably high cost of failure. A variety of artificial intelligence (AI) processes must be incorporated for planning, sensing and other complex tasks.

AUVs are fast becoming accepted as highly useful data gathering platforms within the worldwide marine science community, as both the range and depth envelopes are being pushed by developments in battery technology, propulsive efficiency and pressure vessel technologies. It is already accepted that AUVs can provide substantial benefits in data quality and cost, in, for example, geophysical surveys for oil and gas exploration. But within the science community there is the perception that AUVs are expensive, complex and risky to use.

AUVs are preferable to conventional towed instruments because they can cover large areas without constant monitoring. Additionally, they do not require large surface vehicles to launch them or trained operators on board to pilot them. Moreover, AUVs offer a flexible alternative to traditional surface vessels and have the capability to glide close to the surface, dive to varying depths to gather highresolution remote spatial and temporal measurements, and hover in hazardous areas where navigation is difficult. AUVs have reduced the high costs of ocean exploration and sampling while increasing the availability, quality and quantity of scientific marine data.

This report considers the prospective demand for AUVs in the commercial, military and research sectors over the next five years. Highest growth is expected to come from the commercial sector, which will enable a wide range of applications to emerge in the offshore oil and gas industry (life-of-field, pipeline inspections and rig moves), as well as in civil hydrography, in addition to existing pipeline route surveys.

Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05312881

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