OMS Group says it has completed a two-week Uncrewed Surface Vehicle (USV) training programme for its USV Elite operations team at the manufacturer’s facility in La Ciotat, France, as it moves toward commercial deployment of the vessel.
The Kuala Lumpur-based company said the programme followed recent Sea Acceptance Tests and was designed to prepare USV pilots, remote surveyors and field support technicians to deploy, maintain and support the USV in line with international standards.
OMS said the training covered advanced piloting and mission management, communications and connectivity resilience, mechanical and electronic engineering fundamentals, survey data acquisition workflows, and emergency response procedures.
The company said its operating model relies on certified seafarers, including Master Mariners serving as USV pilots with valid Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping (STCW) qualifications, supported by hydrographic surveyors and offshore technicians.
Chairman Datuk Lim Soon Foo said the company was seeking to apply “the same discipline and professionalism expected of conventional offshore vessels” to uncrewed operations, and described investment in personnel as important alongside technology.
Emmanuel Delanoue, deputy group CEO and CEO of the telecommunications division, said the USV could support survey operations with improved safety, efficiency and a reduced environmental footprint compared with conventional survey vessels, while maintaining customer expectations.
Marine survey director Maxime Even said the company’s objective was to deliver survey quality comparable to conventional offshore operations, using operator training and standardised workflows to support consistent hydrographic data acquisition.
OMS said USV Elite will continue an operational readiness programme ahead of commercial deployment as part of its autonomous offshore survey services. The company also linked the initiative to broader adoption of autonomous survey technologies in the global subsea telecommunications industry.
