← Company intelligence

Robot maker · registered

Fugro (remote & autonomous solutions)

Corporate marketmarineinspectionenergyCurated record

Scoped entry: covers only Fugro's remote and autonomous solutions program — the Blue-series uncrewed surface vessels (Blue Essence, Blue Eclipse, next-gen Blue Prism), the Fugro-developed Blue Volta eROV, AUV survey operations and onshore remote operations centres. Fugro's conventional crewed sur...

Fugro developed the Blue Volta eROV in-house as the world's first ROV designed specifically for launch and recovery from a USV, and co-designed its 12 m Blue Essence USVs with SEA-KIT International. Vessels are operated over-the-horizon from Fugro remote operations centres (Aberdeen, the Netherlands, Middle East) and are certified under Lloyd's Register's Code for Unmanned Marine Systems, with UK MCA Category 2 approval for fully remote surveys. The larger 18 m Blue Eclipse adds deepwater multibeam and sub-bottom profiling; a next-generation Blue Prism USV class is in design with Kooiman Engineering and Van Oossanen Naval Architects.

HeadquartersNootdorp, NL
Founded1962
Corporate fundingNot disclosed
TeamNot listed
Deployments6
Open roles0
01

Company overview

Identity and operating footprint

Company typeRobot maker
Market segmentCorporate
StagePublic (Euronext Amsterdam: FUR); no program-specific funding disclosed
FoundersKees Joustra (Founder), Mark Heine (CEO)
Regions servedEurope, Middle East, Americas, Asia-Pacific
Countries deployedNot listed
Service footprintNot listed
Last reviewed2026-07-21
MX

Robot models

Specifications remain vendor-claimed

Machinemarine

Blue Eclipse

  • 18 m uncrewed surface vessel, the largest in Fugro's fleet, carrying high-resolution multibeam echo sounders and sub-bottom data acquisition systems, remotely operated from Fugro's Aberdeen operations centre with up to 90% lower fuel consumption than traditional survey vessels

    Platform size, sensor payload and remote-operations capability

    Claim source
Machinemarine

Blue Essence

  • 12 m uncrewed surface vessel, developed with SEA-KIT International, approved by the UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency as the first USV to operate an electrical ROV (eROV) in UK waters, with Category 2 status permitting operations within 60 nautical miles of a safe harbour

    Regulatory approval for fully remote USV+eROV operations

    Claim source
  • Operates up to two weeks at sea without refuelling with eROV remotely launched and recovered from an onshore operations centre, achieving a 95% reduction in carbon emissions compared to conventional ROV support vessels

    Endurance and emissions performance

    Claim source
Machinemarine

Blue Volta

  • Observation-class electric ROV, the world's first ROV developed specifically for deployment from a USV, with 350 m water depth capability for visual and cathodic-protection inspection

    Design purpose and depth rating

    Claim source
DP

Deployment log

Announced and cited only

AnnouncedCustomerSiteCountryCountEvidence
2025-05-12Norwegian Hydrographic Service (MAREANO programme)national seabed mapping — Blue Eclipse USV surveying over 675 km2 of the North Sea in 90-250 m water depths (bathymetry, water column, backscatter, sub-bottom profiling), commercial debut of the Blue EclipseNONot disclosedAnnouncement
2024-12-18Petrobrasoffshore oil & gas shallow-water infrastructureBRNot disclosedAnnouncement
2023-08-14Atlantis (UAQ) Ltdoffshore gas platform (UAQ3, Umm Al Quwain field)AE1Announcement
2023-04-25Vattenfall / ORE Catapult (European Offshore Wind Deployment Centre, Aberdeen)offshore wind farm — world's first fully remote ROV inspection of offshore wind turbine structures plus deepwater multibeam seabed mapping, eROV launched and recovered from Fugro's Aberdeen remote operations centreGBNot disclosedAnnouncement
2023-01-30TAQA Netherlandsoffshore oil & gas — Dutch North Sea P15 complex: integrity inspection of two platforms and over 40 km of pipeline (multibeam survey, depth of burial, visual and cathodic-protection inspection) by Blue Essence USV with Blue Volta eROV, controlled from...NLNot disclosedAnnouncement
2021-07-30Woodside Energyoffshore gas trunklines (North West Shelf)AU1Announcement
TL

Company timeline

Milestones and announcements

2025-05-12Commercial debut of the 18 m Blue Eclipse USV with award of the Norwegian Hydrographic Service's 2025 MAREANO seabed mapping contractFugro
2023-04-25Blue Essence and Blue Volta complete the world's first fully remote offshore wind ROV inspection at the European Offshore Wind Deployment Centre, AberdeenFugro
2023-02-20UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency approves Blue Essence as the first USV with an eROV permitted to undertake fully remote surveys in UK waters (Category 2)Fugro
SC

Source ledger

8 unique public sources

Record / fugro-remote-autonomous-solutionsLast reviewed / 2026-07-218 sourcesMachine-readable