M080-26 River Tamar – Beauty Point and West Arm – Autonomous Underwater Vehicle

M080-26 River Tamar – Beauty Point and West Arm – Autonomous Underwater Vehicle

Mariners are advised that an untethered autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) will be deployed in the autonomous operations area at Beauty Point and West Arm from Monday, 2 March 2026, to Friday, 20 March 2026, between 09:00 and 17:00 hours on each day.

The AUV will conduct a series of manoeuvres below the water surface within the deployment area as part of a training exercise. The AUV will surface for brief periods (<10 minutes) every 30 minutes during deployment to acquire a GPS fix. The standby vessel Tapilti will be on-site during these planned surfacings and will display flag ALPHA and make contact with any approaching surface vessels on VHF CH14/16. It is possible the AUV will conduct unplanned surfacing; as such, any vessels coming into the current approximate location of the AUV will be contacted via VHF CH16 and requested to change course if there is a risk of collision.

Mariners should navigate the area with caution.

AUV

Tapilti