Fugro has deployed two new autonomous environmental landers off the coast of Saudi Arabia to collect oceanographic data in deep and remote areas of the Red Sea. The year-long effort is being performed in collaboration with King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) to better understand the local ecosystem and support Saudi Vision 2030, the country’s social and economic framework for a sustainable future.

The KAUST Red Sea program represents Fugro’s first use of the new lander technology in the Middle East. Built in partnership with philanthropic and commercial investment organization Ocean Data Solutions (ODS), the deepwater landers are a cost-effective, reusable and reconfigurable platform, making them ideal for obtaining large volumes of oceanographic data in waters that are historically understudied. The landers can host multiple sensors to monitor and measure a variety of environmental parameters for months at a time in water depths of 10 to 6,000 m.