HOS, Saronic Link Up to Trial Autonomous Vessels Offshore

Design work is under way for Port Alpha, a greenfield “next-generation shipyard”. Image courtesy Saronic Technologies

When we interviewed Saronic Co-Founder and CEO Dino Mavrookas late last year, he insisted that Saronic's mission was to deliver commercially viable autonomous vessels first, and in turn parlay that into a ready package for defense. That vision comes to fruition as Saronic announced a partnership with Hornbeck Offshore Services, Inc. (HOS), to accelerate innovation and deployment of autonomous platforms, advanced software, and maritime solutions to the markets HOS serves.  Specifically, as part of the agreement, Saronic and Hornbeck intend to pursue commercial solutions to support offshore services and energy operations, including pilot projects for Marauder, Saronic’s 180-foot autonomous ship. 

“At Saronic, we focus on building technology that improves outcomes and reduces risk in high-complexity maritime environments,” said Dino Mavrookas, Co-Founder and CEO of Saronic. “Our autonomous maritime capabilities can increase the safety, efficiency, and effectiveness of offshore operations. Through our partnership with Hornbeck, we will work to responsibly deploy autonomous maritime systems to improve offshore service delivery – advancing energy security, and, in turn, economic and national security.”

The companies will also evaluate how Saronic’s technologies could support a wide spectrum of Hornbeck’s operational functions – ranging from voyage planning and service delivery to fleet management and predictive maintenance – creating opportunities to streamline workflows, create safer working environments for its crews, and drive efficiencies over time.

“Hornbeck Offshore has long been guided by our mission to deliver innovative, high quality, value added business solutions. Saronic is a proven leader in applying emerging autonomous technologies to marine operations. Together, our missions are aligned and we’re charting a future where AI enabled capabilities can augment service-delivery across commercial and defense markets, creating safer operations for our crews, greater efficiency, and new value for our customers,” said Todd Hornbeck, Chairman, President and CEO of Hornbeck Offshore.