Saipem Supplies Hydrone-W ROV for ISPRA Vessel

In marine research, environmental monitoring and offshore infrastructure inspection, access to reliable deep-sea robotics is essential for safe and repeatable subsea operations. Saipem will supply its Hydrone-W remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROV) for installation on ISPRA’s new oceanographic vessel Arcadia, currently under construction at the T. Mariotti shipyard in Genoa.

The Hydrone-W is a full-electric work-class ROV designed to operate at depths of up to 3,000 meters. It will support advanced oceanographic missions, including ecosystem observation, geomorphological studies and inspection of strategic offshore infrastructure.

Designed for Deep-Sea Scientific Operations
Hydrone-W was developed under Saipem’s Hydrone underwater robotics program, which focuses on the design and industrialization of a fleet of subsea drones capable of operating autonomously in harsh marine environments.

As a work-class ROV, Hydrone-W combines high power availability with precision control, enabling tasks such as:

Its full-electric architecture reduces hydraulic complexity, supporting improved energy efficiency and simplified onboard integration compared to traditional electro-hydraulic systems.

Integration on ISPRA’s Arcadia Vessel
The ROV will be deployed from Arcadia, ISPRA’s new oceanographic research vessel, developed within Italy’s National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP) under the Marine Ecosystem Restoration (MER) program.

The vessel is equipped with advanced technologies dedicated to:

By integrating Hydrone-W into the vessel’s operational suite, ISPRA will gain in-house deep-water intervention and inspection capability, reducing reliance on external subsea contractors for scientific campaigns.

Strengthening Underwater Robotics Capabilities
The contract reinforces Saipem’s position in underwater robotics through Sonsub, its business line specializing in advanced subsea technologies.

The Hydrone program represents a structured approach to subsea robotics industrialization, moving from project-specific ROV solutions toward standardized, scalable platforms capable of supporting scientific, environmental and offshore energy applications.

For scientific institutions such as ISPRA, the integration of a 3,000-meter-rated electric work-class ROV enables:

With Hydrone-W onboard Arcadia, Italy strengthens its technological capacity for deep-sea research, environmental monitoring and the protection of critical offshore infrastructures.

www.saipem.com