An Italian company has created an underwater drone that lives on the ocean floor for 12 consecutive months without returning to the surface, and the embedded artificial intelligence allows it to inspect and repair oil pipelines on its own.

Written by Douglas Avila

Published on 13/04/2026 at 06:22

Updated on 02/05/2026 at 17:00

37 people reacted to this.

The Hydrone-R from Saipem is the world’s first resident underwater drone, capable of remaining submerged for 12 months using AI for inspections and repairs on oil pipelines at depths of up to 3,000 meters in Equinor’s Njord field in the Norwegian Sea

At the icy bottom of the Norwegian Sea, about 300 meters deep, an underwater drone from the Italian company Saipem works day and night without ever returning to the surface. The Hydrone-R is the world’s first Underwater Intervention Drone (UID) designed to stay submerged for up to 12 consecutive months. In this way, it inspects, monitors, and even repairs underwater oil equipment using artificial intelligence, without needing a support vessel or human operator on site.

Since 2023, the underwater drone has been operating exclusively in Equinor’s Njord field and has already accumulated over 500 days of subsea residency, with a world record of 240 continuous days on the seabed. Therefore, while traditional ROVs rely on vessels that cost tens of thousands of dollars per day, the Hydrone-R works alone 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

An underwater drone that sees, decides, and repairs itself at 3,000 meters

Submarine coupling station for the Hydrone-R underwater drone

The Hydrone-R operates at depths of up to 3,000 meters and has a range of 300 meters in ROV mode or over 20 km in autonomous AUV mode. Additionally, the system has 12 kW of power, compatible with electric and hydraulic tools for valve manipulation and emergency interventions.

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10-year contract with Equinor changed the offshore maintenance paradigm

Offshore platform with underwater drone being launched into the ocean

In October 2019, Equinor selected the Hydrone-R for the Njord-A field, establishing the first global 10-year contract for services with underwater drones in the offshore energy sector. Thus, the decision represented a long-term bet on resident technology, eliminating the dependence on support vessels for routine inspections.

At the end of 2025, with 12.5-meter waves, the Hydrone-R enabled the commissioning of a well in Njord while traditional ROVs simply could not operate. Therefore, the underwater drone proved that it can work in extreme conditions that paralyze conventional systems. The technology won the Spotlight on New Technology at OTC 2021.

The future of underwater drones and what still needs to be resolved

Robotic arm of an underwater drone manipulating a subsea valve

The Hydrone-R does not replace heavy-duty ROVs but complements the fleet with unprecedented resident capability. However, the system still relies on remote communications and has limited range in ROV mode. Additionally, Saipem is negotiating the potential sale of Sonsub, the division that developed the Hydrone, to Fincantieri, which may affect the future of the program.

Still, the concept of a resident underwater drone is paving the way for a new era in offshore maintenance, where robots permanently reside on the seabed and humans supervise from solid ground. The trend of oil companies investing billions in technology reinforces that this is a one-way path for the global industry.

An Italian company has created an underwater drone that lives on the ocean floor for 12 consecutive months without returning to the surface, and the embedded artificial intelligence allows it to inspect and repair oil pipelines on its own.

The Hydrone-R from Saipem is the world’s first resident underwater drone, capable of remaining submerged for 12 months using AI for inspections and repairs on oil pipelines at depths of up to 3,000 meters in Equinor’s Njord field in the Norwegian Sea

An underwater drone that sees, decides, and repairs itself at 3,000 meters

10-year contract with Equinor changed the offshore maintenance paradigm

The future of underwater drones and what still needs to be resolved

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An Italian company has created an underwater drone that lives on the ocean floor for 12 consecutive months without returning to the surface, and the embedded artificial intelligence allows it to inspect and repair oil pipelines on its own.

The Hydrone-R from Saipem is the world’s first resident underwater drone, capable of remaining submerged for 12 months using AI for inspections and repairs on oil pipelines at depths of up to 3,000 meters in Equinor’s Njord field in the Norwegian Sea

An underwater drone that sees, decides, and repairs itself at 3,000 meters

10-year contract with Equinor changed the offshore maintenance paradigm

The future of underwater drones and what still needs to be resolved

Gaddafi built the world’s largest artificial river under the Sahara — it’s 4,000 km of giant pipes that pump 40,000-year-old fossil water to entire cities in Libya.

Discovery in Africa scares even scientists: a study published on April 23 reveals that the crust in Turkana has become so thin that it could pave the way for the continent’s division and the emergence of an ocean in the future, in a gigantic geological transformation.

Austria inaugurates Europe’s first high-speed railway outside China — trains travel at 250 km/h through 33 km tunnels in the Alps that took 27 years to drill

An unmanned Russian ship has been drifting in the Mediterranean for 57 days with 60,000 tons of gas — the second towing attempt has just failed.

2 scientists analyzed in a new study whether the construction of a mega dam in the Bering Strait could be the last barrier against climate collapse, to protect one of the world’s most important ocean currents.

An MIT startup is betting on superhot geothermal in Oregon and building the world’s first plant of its kind, targeting rocks above 300°C to generate 50 MW by 2030 and expand the project to 250 MW with few wells.

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