Subsea services firm Modus has bought two SPICE AUV systems from Kawasaki Heavy Industries (KHI).
The AUVs can provide a wide range of autonomous services and data acquisition with high efficiency and quality, down to 3,000m water depth.
Nicholas Tompkins, chief executive of Darlington-headquartered Modus, said: “This multi-million-pound investment represents a significant expansion of Modus’ capability and fleet.
“SPICE represents a world first AUV with integrated manipulator (robot arm), designed for cable and pipeline inspections as well as more conventional, high quality, high efficiency surveys.
“Our strategic relationship with KHI positions us well for growth and cements our leading position in the market.”
Modus said the additions built on its existing fleet of Saab Sabretooth HAUVs, currently the world’s largest such fleet.
A prototype of SPICE was extensively tested in 2017 at the Underwater Centre in Fort William, which collapsed in 2018.
KHI launched a multi-million pound subsea business in Aberdeen a year later.