Two XOCEAN USVs to survey UK’s 2.2 GW link

September 1, 2026, by Nadja Skopljak

XOCEAN has been tasked with performing geophysical survey operations, starting this month, for the 2,200 MW Western HVDC Link cable route between Hunterston, Scotland, and the Wirral, England.

XOCEAN’s uncrewed survey vessels (USVs) X-05 and X-29 will be used for the geophysical inspection survey of approximately 127 kilometers of the Western Link HVDC cable system from the south of the Isle of Man to its landfall at the Wirral, England.

The objective is to monitor cable burial status, seabed mobility, rock berms, concrete mattresses, cable crossings and associated seabed features identified during previous inspection campaigns.

The work will take place from September 10, with a duration of two to four weeks, subject to weather.

The USVs will be equipped with multibeam echo sounder (MBES) and towed side-scan sonar (SSS) systems.