Saildrone has successfully completed a comprehensive bathymetric mapping mission across the Cayman Islands’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ), covering approximately 90,000 square kilometers of seabed over roughly 300 mission days. The autonomous survey utilized a Saildrone Surveyor uncrewed surface vehicle (USV) to collect high-resolution ocean data across depths ranging from 20 to 7,000 meters, executing more than 900 sound-velocity profile casts to ensure bathymetric accuracy.
Technical Mission Scope and Bathymetric Mapping Objectives
The mission prioritized survey work on four critical fishing banks—60 Mile Bank, Lawfords Bank, Pickle Bank, and 12 Mile Bank—regions identified as essential biodiversity hotspots supporting local fisheries, tourism, and recreational activities. Prior to this survey, the Cayman Islands had only 20,000 square kilometers of EEZ data collected with modern multibeam sonar technology, concentrated around the Cayman Trench deep water zone. The newly acquired bathymetric mapping data significantly expands the nation’s understanding of its marine resources and seafloor characteristics.
The bathymetric mapping initiative was philanthropically funded by the London & Amsterdam Trust Company Limited, a Cayman-based organization committed to supporting long-term marine resource management for the islands.
Applications and Strategic Impact
The collected bathymetric mapping data enables the Cayman Government to advance several critical maritime objectives: enhanced navigation and charting capabilities, sustainable fisheries management, offshore energy planning, responsible seabed mining exploration, and vulnerable marine ecosystem conservation. According to Saildrone VP Ocean Mapping Brian Connon, “This mission is a testament to the power of Saildrone vehicles in delivering ocean mapping at a scale and resolution that was previously prohibitively expensive for small island nations.”
Operational Resilience in Challenging Conditions
The mission confronted significant operational obstacles, including unprecedented sargassum blooms and severe weather threats. Saildrone developed enhanced techniques for clearing the sound velocity profiler and improved remote diagnostics to detect biofouling early. The Surveyor’s operational performance in severe conditions validated its capability to maintain survey operations through sea state seven, demonstrating robust autonomous USV reliability.
Raw bathymetric, backscatter, and ocean-profile data will be transferred to the UK Hydrographic Office for processing as the Primary Charting Authority for the Cayman Islands. Additional low-resolution datasets support Seabed 2030’s global mapping initiative. Saildrone anticipates expanding bathymetric mapping operations to additional Caribbean nations following this mission’s success.
About Saildrone
Saildrone is a maritime defense company with a relentless passion for performance. Built to operate in the world’s harshest environments, Saildrone’s autonomous systems deliver payload effects and persistent, wide-area intelligence, enabling informed decisions across the spectrum of defense missions. Harnessing AI, advanced sensor suites, and renewable power for unmatched endurance at sea, Saildrone delivers superior multi-domain impact—from power projection to persistent ISR to real-time threat detection and tracking—while reducing cost and risk. With proven operational success across the world’s oceans, Saildrone is advancing the frontier of autonomous maritime operations to give decision-makers and warfighters the enduring advantage to outpace adversaries today and build tomorrow’s most decisive capabilities.
Read More
Ian McNabb is a journalist focusing on drone technology and lifestyle content at Dronelife. He is based between Boston and NH and, when not writing, enjoys hiking and Boston area sports.
