Diving deep into ocean data

USA Clients driving change > XOCEAN
 

Although much of their depth remains unexplored, oceans are vital to life on earth – and since the dawn of time, seafarers have travelled both across the surface and deep beneath the waves to discover the mysteries of the Blue Planet.

Collecting data remains just as important today but thanks to modern technology, this can be attained without the need for direct human intervention. 

 XOCEAN, an innovative Irish company based in Rathcor, Co Louth, is an ocean data business which delivers data to major energy and industrial corporations using uncrewed surface vessels (USVs) to map the ocean floor and collect marine data in waters around the world. 

The company’s primary focus is to support the development of offshore renewable energy and it delivers data to support the development, construction, operations and maintenance of offshore windfarms, supporting the developers at each stage of the 40 year lifecycle. XOCEAN USVs provide a platform from which to harvest high-resolution ocean data while being remotely controlled via satellite.

Andrea Phillips, Chief Commercial Officer of XOCEAN, says their innovative approach not only reduces the time and cost associated with data delivery, but also significantly lowers the environmental impact.

“Rather than using conventional vessels, we developed a safe, economic and carbon neutral solution to acquiring ocean data,” she said. “The traditional way of mapping the ocean floor and collecting data requires a large group of people working for extended periods and sometimes it can be several months before a traditional supplier has availability to provide data and this can lead to high costs.

“Our CEO, James Ives,  recognised these challenges and envisioned a more safe and efficient method which has led to the creation of a platform which delivers high resolution ocean data, remotely controlled via satellite. This innovative approach not only reduces the time and cost associated with the data delivery, but also significantly lowers the environmental impact – as our vessels use about 20 litres of diesel every day."

“Also, our USVs are the size of a small car, so this leads to lower noise levels which, in turn, causes less disturbance within the marine environment. So, while providing the same data as a traditional vessel, ours have a much reduced carbon footprint and has no people offshore.”

Global reach

Founded in 2017 and headquartered in Louth, XOCEAN has clients around the globe and is continuing to expand both its customer base and its employee headcount. 

“Our primary focus has been to support the development of renewable energy, and as such, we count some of the world's largest renewable energy companies among our clients,” said Phillips. “We also deliver data to some of the world's largest hydrographic organisations. We treat them as two market segments, as customers and clients, which have quite distinct different buying journeys; in the renewable energy space, we work on a regular basis with Orsted, Ocean Winds, SSE Renewables, Equinor and BP and we also work extensively with the UKHO (UK Hydrographic Organisation). 

“Around 75% of our work has been in offshore wind development in the UK, but we have worked in 23 jurisdictions globally, including many offshore development sites in Europe – such as the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, Germany and France – and on the east coast of the US. We've also completed hydrographic surveys in lots of interesting and far flung places, as far as the Canadian Arctic and Lake Superior.

“We have harvested over 4 million gigabytes of high quality data, and supported the development of over eight gigawatts of new offshore wind capacity around the world – and with continuing investment in our fleet of USVs, and expanding our expert team, we believe that we are delivering the high quality data which is required and are very well positioned to continue to serve the market consistently. We’re committed to scaling our operations and our capabilities to meet that increasing development for high quality data services locally.”

Disruptive technology

While the demand for sustainable maritime solutions continues to rise, there is no doubt that XOCEAN is a disruptive player in the renewable energy and environmental monitoring sectors. But Phillips says that the their cutting edge technology is also hugely beneficial to its employees.

“Along with providing data in a much more environmentally friendly way, it is also much safer as seafarers don't need to go offshore,” she said. “In addition to this, our global operations utilise a work force based in different geographic locations and time zones. This has reduced the need for night shifts and irregular working hours and creates a more balanced lifestyle for traditional seafarers who can do the same job while operating onshore.  

“By eliminating the need for large crews to spend weeks at sea, the company enhances safety and opens opportunities for greater gender diversity in the maritime sector. By removing seafarer exposure, we have eradicated the risk to personnel and over the next 5 years we will avoid 5 million seafarer exposure hours. ”