Austal To Build Aluminum Drone Vessel

MOBILE, Ala. — Mobile-based Austal USA has announced a partnership with Alameda, California-based Saildrone Inc., under which the shipyard will start building autonomous sail-powered survey vessels as soon as October, AL.com reports. Austal plans to build the Saildrone Surveyor, which will be manufactured exclusively in Mobile, for Saildrone. The Surveyor is an autonomous low-profile research vessel approximately 70 feet long with a tall sail-shaped mast. The mast provides most of the craft’s propulsion, while solar panels atop the hull collect energy to power instruments that may be tailored for such missions as high-resolution seafloor mapping. Richard Jenkins, Saildrone Founder and CEO, said the company has a 100-strong fleet  and that “leveraging Austal’s advanced manufacturing capabilities will dramatically accelerate our ability to get Saildrones into the hands of our customers.”