OceanAlpha has secured approval in principle from Bureau Veritas Marine & Offshore for its L42B uncrewed surface vessel, designed to carry out offshore hydrographic and geophysical surveys. Offshore Energy reported that the certificate was issued on 31 July 2026 following an assessment under BV’s NI 641 autonomous shipping guidelines.
The review examined the vessel’s layout, communications systems, control architecture and specified operating scenarios. Within the boundaries of that assessment, BV found no conflict between the proposed design and the applicable rules. The approval is limited to the operating conditions assessed and carries technical recommendations to guide further development.
Those conditions include manoeuvring through complex harbour traffic, docking and undocking, alongside survey work and transit in open water. Operations are to remain under continuous human supervision, with remote control provided from either a shore-based centre or a support vessel. Multiple communications links allow operators to track navigation and intervene when necessary during coastal and offshore deployments.
The L42B is an aluminium catamaran measuring 8.51 metres, with a modular payload arrangement suitable for multibeam echo sounders, side-scan sonar equipment and magnetometers. Its intended tasks range from mapping the seabed and surveying subsea pipelines to environmental monitoring. According to Offshore Energy, the design allows missions of up to eight days at four knots in still water, while the stated maximum range is 1,500 kilometres.
Power comes from a combination of diesel generators, electric propulsion and lithium iron phosphate batteries. The remotely supervised capabilities are intended to make deployment more flexible and reduce personnel exposure during offshore survey work. These are stated objectives of the vessel’s capabilities rather than findings of the approval review.
A certificate presentation took place on 16 October 2026, attended by BV Marine & Offshore’s Greater China vice president, Maciej Lepicki, and OceanAlpha general manager Pinestone Shi. Shi said the independent assessment supplied useful technical feedback as the company continued refining the design and remote-operation capabilities for marine survey customers.