Norco Powers XOCEAN’s Next-Gen Uncrewed Surface Vessel with Advanced Composite Technology

Source | XOCEAN

Norco Composites & GRP (Poole, Dorset, U.K.) was engaged by XOCEAN (Rathcor, Ireland), to support the build of its next generation survey vessel, now successfully delivered. The vessel was designed and developed by XOCEAN, with Norco providing manufacturing expertise in lightweight resin infused composite structures, critical to achieving a weight efficient, high performance platform.

XOCEAN uses uncrewed surface vessels (USVs) to provide turnkey ocean data from mapping the seabed to environmental monitoring. Building on XOCEAN’s established uncrewed technology platform, Norco used its expertise in design for manufacture, tool design and material selection to optimize production.

This included composite structural assembly and first fix outfitting, with opportunities identified during the build to further enhance production efficiency. Insights from the initial build phase have been incorporated into ongoing production, with the second vessel now complete and a third in construction as the fleet moves into series manufacture.

“We are very grateful to Norco and Rockabill Marine Design for the expertise they brought to this project across composite manufacturing and naval architecture. The successful delivery of this vessel marks an important step forward for XOCEAN as we scale our fleet.” — James Ives, CEO of XOCEAN