AUTONOMOUS UNDERWATER VEHICLE MANUFACTURERS MARKET ANALYSIS

Autonomous underwater vehicles are useful for various applications such as locating shipwrecks, mapping rock formations, and removing obstacles that could be detrimental to recreational and commercial navigation vessels. Autonomous underwater vehicles are equipped with cutting-edge sensor technologies, such as sonar systems and oceanographic sensors that allow them to execute missions without the need for human interaction. These autonomous underwater vehicles return to their initial starting position or site after completing their mission, where the data is untangled and administered to the vessel or shipboard systems.

Increasing demand in oil and gas transportation under water is expected to drive the growth of the global autonomous underwater vehicle manufacturers market.

The autonomous underwater vehicles are manufactured in many countries such as the U.S., France, Russia, and China. They were first introduced in the oil and gas industry, named C & C Technologies. C & C Technologies, headquartered in the U.S., is known to develop the first commercial autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) for oil and gas exploration. The government of India has also implemented initiatives to increase the demand by permitting 100% foreign direct investment (FDI) in many sectors, including natural gas and petroleum sector. The initiative to increase demand in oil and gas industry will boost the autonomous underwater vehicle demand for submarines. According to India Brand Equity Foundation, in February 2021, government of India announced to invest about 7.5 trillion INR (US$ 102.49 billion) on oil and gas infrastructure for the next five years. This is expected to increase the construction of oil and natural gas pipelines, which is expected to propel the growth of autonomous underwater vehicles market. Moreover, the manufacturers of autonomous underwater vehicles adopt various strategies such as acquisitions, collaborations, and product launches to develop unique brand value and enhance market share across the globe. For instance, HUGIN Endurance is a new AUV launched in February 2021 by Kongsberg Maritime, a Norway-based company, which provides systems for positioning, surveying, navigation, and automation to merchant vessels and offshore installations. This has features such as long-range military survey, wide-area mine detection, and features to monitor maritime check points to detect submarines. Another company named Oceaneering International, Inc., a subsea engineering company, acquired C & C Technologies, Inc., a leading provider of ocean mapping services in deep water. This acquisition provided Oceaneering to uses the customized autonomous underwater vehicles of C & C Technologies for ocean mapping. The global autonomous underwater vehicle market is dominated by 10-12 players with the major presence of large- and medium-sized manufacturers. For instance, Kongsberg Maritime, headquartered in Norway, provides systems for positioning, surveying, navigation, and automation to merchant vessels and offshore installations.  The company follows the equilateral triangle strategy which focus equally on three sides: operations, energy systems, and handling systems. Teledyne Gavia ehf, headquartered in Iceland, delivers turnkey survey solutions for military, commercial, and scientific applications.  These are the leading companies which account for a significant share in the global autonomous underwater vehicle market. There are also some other autonomous underwater vehicle manufacturing companies such as Saab AB, ECA Robotics SAS, and Fugro N.V. which contribute to the growth of the market.

Global Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Manufacturers Market Taxonomy

On the basis of category, the global autonomous underwater vehicle manufacturers market is segmented into:

• Medium-sized manufacturer
• Large-sized manufacturer

On the basis of region, the global autonomous underwater vehicle manufacturers market is segmented into:

• North America
• Europe
• Asia Pacific
• Latin America
• Middle East
• Africa

Major players operating in the global autonomous underwater vehicle manufacturers market are Kongsberg Maritime, Teledyne Marine, Bluefin Robotics, ECA GROUP, Saab AB, Lockheed Martin Corporation, Fugro, ATLAS ELEKTRONIK GmbH, Boston Engineering Corporation, and International Submarine Engineering