M168-25 River Tamar, Beauty Point – Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Deployment
Mariners are advised that an untethered autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) will be deployed in the Beauty Point Autonomous Operations Area and West Arm Autonomous Operations Area between 0900 and 1700 from Monday, 24 March 2025, to Friday, 4 April 2025.
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 briefly (< 10 minutes) every 30 minutes during deployment to acquire a GPS fix. The standby vessel Tapilti will be onsite during these planned surfacings and will display flag ALPHA and make contact over VHF CH14/16 to any approaching surface vessels. The AUV may conduct unplanned surfacing, and 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.