Pioneering uncrewed subsea robotics

HonuWorx Ltd has acquired the VALOR remotely operated vehicle (ROV) manufactured by Rovtech Solutions Ltd, which will form a key component of its Loggerhead platform.

Loggerhead aims to unlock a step-change in offshore operating efficiency by removing the need for surface vessels.

“This investment represents another significant milestone in our mission to build a fleet of Loggerhead subsea robotics platforms,” said Lee Wilson, chief executive, HonuWorx Ltd.

“At $3bn and growing, the global underwater inspection and intervention market requires cleaner, safer and more cost-efficient solutions that break away from established models.”

Subsea partnership

Mr Wilson said that HonuWorx has been working diligently with the VALOR team for the past three years on a range of trials and demonstrations, having long recognised that the ROV’s compactness and modern control architecture would be well suited to its ”re-imagining of subsea work.”

HonuWorx aims to begin constructing the first commercial Loggerhead pilot system in Aberdeen this year, for a series of offshore commercial tests in 2027.

The newly-purchased ROV forms part of an Offshore Wind Growth Partnership (OWGP) Innovation Project to accelerate the systems integration engineering.

The VALOR ROV is one of a new generation of compact inspection class vehicles which can be outfitted with a wide variety of tools and sensors that previously could only be fitted to large electro-hydraulic ROVs.

HonuWorx has additionally developed a cloud-control architecture that enables the VALOR vehicle to be controlled ‘over the horizon’ in a similar way to airborne drones.

The underwater robotics pioneer has previously validated the Loggerhead technology with a full-scale prototype trial offshore in Canada, deploying an ROV from an autonomous submersible ‘mothership’ platform and controlling the system from shore in what is believed to be a world-first demonstration.

The deployment of ROVs has not changed in the last 40 years of the offshore energy industry with large, crewed, fossil fuel powered surface vessels typically used to transport vehicles to worksites.

By removing the need for surface ships, the Loggerhead all-electric uncrewed system has the potential to vastly reduce the emissions, cost and risk of underwater robotics operations. Per vessel displaced, Loggerhead will remove the equivalent emissions of 4,000 petrol or diesel cars.

As well as offshore energy, Loggerhead has strong defence applications for monitoring critical subsea infrastructure such as pipelines and cables. HonuWorx was recently selected for NATO’s 2025 DIANA (Defence Innovation Accelerator) program.

The company is currently undergoing the first phase of a GB£30m investment programme and expects to capture a 20% global market share in the next decade.