Low logistics ecological monitoring in Gemini Windpark

Currently the northernmost offshore wind farm in the Netherlands, Gemini Windpark consists of two arrays of 75 wind turbines. Between their foundations, the seabed hosts a surprising amount of marine life. The question: how do we make this life visible, reliably and with enough detail, despite the North Sea’s challenging conditions?

Challenge

Mapping benthic ecosystems in offshore wind farms is still difficult. Available methods rely on large support vessels, trained crews, and good weather. Even then, resolution is often limited, and tidal currents and poor visibility make things harder.

To address this, Lobster Robotics, Seaward, and The Rich North Sea set out two clear goals for this campaign:

• Test if we could safely and easily launch and recover the Scout 2 drone from a Crew Transfer Vessel (CTV) under typical offshore conditions.

• Capture detailed maps of the seabed in low visibility and strong currents, showing what lives on the seafloor at 30 meters depth.

Solution

The Scout 2 is built for this kind of work. It’s compact and light: two people can carry the 46 kg unit. It launches without cranes and can be used on small boats. Its thrusters and smart steering software let it hold course even in 1.5 knot currents. And for poor visibility, we developed a special strobed camera system that still produces clear images when you can barely see past a meter.

We planned this campaign with Seaward and The Rich North Sea in summer 2025. A similar mission in 2024 had taken place during calm weather, so this time we wanted to test the system in rougher conditions, the kind you’re more likely to face in the North Sea.

The team gathered at the dock in Eemshaven at 05:45. Quiet start, loading a few boxes of equipment and the Scout onto the vessel. The vessel crew joined us for a walkthrough of the procedures. Then a toolbox meeting, short and to the point, to discuss key risks and how to mitigate them.

Before heading out, we did a test run of the launch and recovery procedure inside the port. A few tweaks to the setup, everything working smoothly.

The weather forecast wasn’t great. As the boat left port, rain set in. Wind picked up, and the short-period waves made things a bit unpleasant. The transit to the site took just over three hours. People stayed quiet. Waiting to see what the day would bring.

But as we neared the site, things changed. The rain stopped. The wind dropped. The sea, while still choppy, had settled to around 0.4 meters in wave height.

We ran the Scout’s pre-dive checks, then launched it over the side. No surprises. No issues. Just as we’d practiced.

A few taps on the control tablet and the first mission started.

Recovering the scout to deck.

Results

We ran four surveys at two different locations in the wind park. Each time, the Scout mapped a 20 x 20 meter square. It flew 1 meter above the seabed at 30 meter depth, covering the area with full image overlap. Surveys were run across the tidal cycle, including during peak flow.

While it worked, the crew monitored progress on the tablet while relaxing a bit, chatting and making jokes.

It was already late afternoon when we recovered the drone: all missions had been carried out successfully, and recovery went as smoothly as launch.

The ride back was uneventful. A few of us fell asleep on the benches in the cabin. Back at the hotel, we extracted the images and ran quick processing to create “fast maps”. Rough overviews used to check data quality. Despite the low visibility, the results were sharp. Shell beds, scattered starfish, small mounds created by life in the sand - all clearly visible.

Total area mapped: 1,600 m². Mission success.

Sharp images as a result

Conclusion

The two objectives for this campaign were achieved.

We launched and recovered the Scout 2 from a crew transfer vessel in realistic sea conditions, without any incidents. Four surveys were completed across two locations in the Gemini Windpark. Each one covered a 20 by 20 meter area. In total, 1,600 square meters of seabed were mapped.

The data was collected at 30 meters depth, during changing currents and low visibility. Despite this, the images were clear and showed fine details of the seafloor. These maps are now being processed and will be shared with Seaward and The Rich North Sea for ecological study.

Impact

This campaign shows that detailed seabed monitoring can be done safely and efficiently with a small team and a small vessel. The Scout 2 did what it was built to do, even under rougher sea conditions. That makes a difference for offshore nature research, where flexibility and reliability matter.

For us at Lobster, it was also a personal moment. After the early morning at the dock, the long transit through wind and rain, and the quiet focus during the missions, there was pride in seeing the results. The system worked, and the data speaks for itself.

Working with Seaward and with The Rich North Sea is always a good experience. We share a hands-on mindset, a love for being out on the water, and a curiosity about life on the seabed. That makes the work easier, and more fun.