A PARTNERSHIP agreement between Unique Group and the Australian Maritime College (AMC) is the first step toward the development of an Unmanned Surface Vessel (USV) Coxswain’s course.

Unique Group, a leading integrated subsea and offshore solutions provider, signed the memorandum of understanding with AMC Search, the training and consultancy division of the Australian Maritime College.

For more than 30 years, AMCS has offered courses and consultancy services for the civilian and defence maritime sector.

The industry-academia collaboration is to enable Unique Group to provide the latest autonomous survey technology from its pool of autonomous equipment, with AMCS developing the comprehensive training course.

The course will incorporate collision regulations and navigation considerations for unmanned systems in commercial operations.

It will be delivered globally by AMCS using Unique Group’s fleet of USVs as training platforms, and base stations as training simulators.

The course will also be offered to Unique Group’s clients as part of the USV product package.

Unique Group COO Sahil Gandhi said the course would help support the emerging technology and be of value to the company’s global clients.

“We are excited to collaborate on building educational and training programs for the emerging autonomous offshore industry,” he said.

“We believe that this emerging technology will become a significant segment within the offshore value chain in the future, and as technical experts, providing asset management and knowledge-sharing solutions for our customers globally is the next step for us.

“We look forward to this successful partnership with AMCS.”

AMCS CEO Dean Cook said the joint development would help provide USV Coxswains with an understanding of the latest technology advancements.

“We have witnessed Unique Group’s USV capabilities first-hand during our Winterfest ’21 event, and we are delighted to partner with them to develop this course,” he said.

“Our mariner’s course, encompassing all the latest technology upgrades available in the USV industry, will equip future USV Coxswains with the best knowledge and skills.”