Review of Autonomous Undersea Vehicle (AUV) Developments 
AUV MARKET FORECAST [52,53,54] 
Sales of UUVs are expected to climb from $100 million in 2000 to over $330 million in 2004, and 
total $1.2 billion over the period. But growth in operational revenues during the same period will 
be greater, from $500 million to nearly $930 million, for a total of $3.5 billion (excluding support 
vessels). 
The revenues found in figure 31 are part of the results of a major new study, “The World UUV 
Report,” on business prospects for Work-Class ROVs, and the “new” technology of AUVs 
launched by leading oil and marine analysts Douglas-Westwood at the Offshore Technology 
Conference in Houston. 
UUV operations Revenues ($ million) 
900 |  WAUVs 
800 | @Work-Class ROVs 
$ million . 
0 sae e pee eS 
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 
Figure 31. Strong Growth Forecast in UUV Market 
Source: The World UUV Report (Douglas-Westwood Limited) 
Over 3,000 ROVs of various types have been built to date, but the report concentrates on the 
high-price, high-earning Work-Class ROVs. There is currently a world fleet of 478 units for 
which the offshore oil and gas industry is the biggest customer. 
According to the report, the year 2000 represents a cyclical low for the UUV manufacturing 
industry caused by the earlier oil price fall. In 1999, 61 Work-Class ROVs were delivered, but in 
2000 only 38 deliveries were expected. However, with firm oil prices and growing deep-water 
activity, deliveries should climb to 118 units in 2004. 
Over the period, the report’s base-case analysis shows the Work-Class ROV fleet growing by 
nearly 50%. This growing fleet will require an increasing expenditure on ancillary equipment 
and replacement items with an estimated market value of $468 million over the five-year period. 
While the offshore oil industry has been though a cyclical low, the submarine telecom cables 
sector has boomed. UUVs are used to survey, trench, and maintain cables, and the authors 
expect that cable work will account for 34% of UUV operational revenues over the period. 
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