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Easing the O&M burden with uncrewed systems delivering data

Written by Negin Hashemi | Jan 31, 2026 8:00:21 AM

Offshore wind is playing an increasingly vital role in the UK’s energy mix. With over 2,500 turbines across 52 wind farms, offshore wind supplied approximately 17% of the nation’s electricity last year—a figure that continues to grow. As this contribution rises, so does the demand for operations and maintenance (O&M). Could uncrewed surface vessels (USVs) help alleviate the pressure, especially given the ongoing challenges with vessel availability?

Finding and Predicting Faults

Innovative companies like XOCEAN are transforming O&M by helping wind farm operators monitor turbine foundations, inter-array cables, and export cables. Their advanced uncrewed vessels provide high-quality data to detect and even predict faults before they occur.

By leveraging small uncrewed vessels, XOCEAN offers a solution with lower human, carbon, and operational costs, while delivering exceptional flexibility, time efficiency, and guaranteed high-quality results—proving to be a valuable asset in maintaining the UK’s growing offshore wind capacity.