Proposal of a Roadmap for the Practical Application of Underwater Unmanned Inspection Systems for Offshore Wind Power Facilities

Nippon Steel Engineering Co., Ltd. (Representative Director and President: Yukihito Ishiwaki; hereinafter "NSE") announces that, as part of the "Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) Utilization Demonstration Project" conducted jointly with Toyo Engineering Corporation (Representative Director and President: Eiji Hosoi; hereinafter "TOYO"), FullDepth Co., Ltd. (Representative Director and President: Satoshi Yoshiga; hereinafter "FullDepth"), and Oki Electric Industry Co., Ltd. (Representative Director and President: Takahiro Mori; hereinafter "OKI"), it has proposed a roadmap for the practical application of a system that utilizes AUVs*1 and other technologies to automate underwater inspection work for offshore wind power facilities.

### Overview of Demonstration Tests In creating this roadmap, we conducted demonstration tests in Numazu City, Shizuoka Prefecture, in October 2025, and proceeded with multifaceted considerations based on the commercialization of underwater unmanned inspection systems. Through demonstration tests involving underwater unmanned inspections using sonar (acoustic exploration) and video recording (monitoring and recording) of observation targets*4, which combined AUVs (Autonomous Underwater Vehicles), ROVs*2 (Remotely Operated Vehicles), and ASVs*3 (Autonomous Surface Vehicles), we identified technical and operational challenges for the future autonomy and unmanned operation of underwater inspection work.

(For details on the demonstration tests, please watch this [PR video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GWxvVzF5R9M&feature=youtu.be).)

### Proposal for a Roadmap Toward AUV Social Implementation Based on the findings from the demonstration tests, we examined the optimal deployment of marine robotics, including system configurations that enable the automation and unmanned operation of wide-area underwater inspection work by combining AUVs and ASVs. Furthermore, assuming the future state of underwater unmanned inspection work in 2030 and 2040, we organized milestones for early social implementation—such as continuous technical development, verification, and long-term implementation tests required for practical application—and proposed them as a roadmap leading up to 2030.

[Figure 1: Future vision of the inspection system envisioned for 2040 (Illustration: © Toyo Engineering)]

### Key Initiatives of Nippon Steel Engineering **1. Conceptual Study for the Commercialization of Maintenance and Inspection Services** To commercialize maintenance and inspection services for offshore wind power operators, it is essential to have a "service provider" that provides comprehensive services. This goes beyond technical capabilities in utilizing marine robotics like AUVs, and includes holding and managing necessary inspection equipment, training and arranging equipment operators and technicians, and securing ICT-related services.

In this project, we have examined and organized the role of the service provider, as well as its business model and ecosystem, based on the premise of maintenance and inspection work for offshore wind power facilities.

[Figure 2: Conceptual diagram of value creation by service providers in the offshore wind power business]

**2. Conceptual Study of Marine Data Utilization Infrastructure** Marine robotics such as AUVs are expected to serve as core assets for acquiring marine data, which is currently in short supply domestically.

In this project, we proposed the construction of a "Marine Data Space"*5 as a foundation for promoting the safe and rapid sharing and utilization of marine data obtained through the use of these assets, and conducted studies on technical and operational aspects. The realization of this infrastructure is expected to contribute not only to the offshore wind power business but also to the utilization of marine data in diverse fields such as the fishing industry and marine resource development, as well as to the strengthening of Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA)*6.

### Future Outlook Looking toward the practical application of a system that automates underwater inspection work for offshore wind power facilities using AUVs and other technologies around 2030, we aim to create new value related to offshore wind power. We will achieve this through the commercialization of maintenance and inspection services for offshore wind power operators and the construction of marine data utilization infrastructure that contributes to the strengthening of MDA.

*1: An unmanned underwater vehicle that operates autonomously without human instruction. In this demonstration test, "Tri-TON," developed by the Maki Laboratory at the Institute of Industrial Science, the University of Tokyo, was used. *2: An unmanned underwater vehicle that dives underwater via remote control. In this demonstration test, "DiveUnit300 Lite" manufactured by FullDepth was used. *3: An unmanned vehicle that navigates the water surface via autonomous control. In this demonstration test, the small vessel "Eight Knot I," equipped with the autonomous navigation platform "Eight Knot AI CAPTAIN" developed by Eight Knot Inc., was used. *4: In this demonstration test, the underwater section of the fixed measurement barge "SEATEC NEO," owned by OKI, was the observation target. *5: A standardized mechanism that ensures reliability and allows data to be shared across different organizations, countries (ecosystems), and industries. *Quoted from: Information-technology Promotion Agency, Japan (IPA): [Introduction to Data Spaces](https://www.ipa.go.jp/digital/data/data-space.html) *6: Initiatives to continuously collect, integrate, and analyze information related to maritime security and maritime use to comprehensively grasp the situation. *Source: Cabinet Office: [Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA) in Japan](https://www8.cao.go.jp/ocean/policies/mda/mda.html)

### [Reference] ■ Implementation Structure Please check the press releases of each company for details on the responsibilities of companies other than our own. - TOYO: https://www.toyo-eng.com/jp/ja/company/news/?n=5966 - FullDepth: https://fulldepth.co.jp/news/305 - OKI: https://www.oki.com/global/ja/topics/2026/0330.html

Related Information About the Cabinet Office AUV Utilization Demonstration Project https://www8.cao.go.jp/ocean/policies/auv/auv_pilot_project/pilot_index.html

News release at the time of adoption for the demonstration project (July 17, 2025) https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000000180.000107878.html