3 Blueye customer stories from the USA

Sunday, December 6, 2020 / United States

As a Norwegian company, Blueye naturally has its strongest customer base in Norway. The advanced local aquaculture and shipping industries have enabled us to expand globally, with strong domestic references. Today our underwater drones are used all around the world, in over 35 countries.

We want to share three customer stories from the USA, to emphasize that our vision is the same across the Atlantic, as it is in Norway: to empower people and organizations with user-friendly underwater technology.

American aquarium owner needed a safe tool for underwater inspections

Just a few months back, we received a late-night call from an aquarium owner in Florida. He was tired of spending money on divers to perform regular inspections at the aquarium. For him, it was a clear choice to invest in a Blueye underwater drone, as it paid itself back after just a few inspections. Ultimately turning a scheduled and reactive workflow, into a proactive and prevenitve one.

During the decision-making process, we discussed how Norwegian fish farmers use Blueye equipment in extremely harsh conditions. These examples ensured our customer that he would receive durable equipment that would indeed work indoors.

This is an example of how the Blueye drone can provide the customer with frequent and safe access to areas beyond human reach. Also, there is nothing stopping aquarium owners from utilizing the features as well. Live streaming footage from the drone to give a more comprehensive view, for instance.

I believe our experiences with local fish farmers and our quick response time, despite the time zone difference, were key-factors to why he chose Blueye.
- Henri Parviainen, Sales Director at Blueye Robotics

Local diver recovers sunken motorboat out of Lake Michigan

Sunken boat_Blueye footage

Another happy Blueye user is the diving and wreck enthusiast Dusty Klifman. He also runs an active facebook-page called Blueyes Below, sharing stories from his dive and ROV Explorations.

In September 2020, Dusty found a sunken motorboat in Lake Michigan with his Blueye drone. The boat was discovered 250 feet below the surface, where very few divers have safe access. In addition to filming the motorboat with his Blueye drone, Dusty later took part in the boat's recovery. «9&10 News» wrote an in-depth article about the case, presenting some insight from Dusty.

It was really neat because it started with me finding it and filming it, and it ended with me bringing it up. It was great.
- Dusty Klifman, Blueye user

V2Subsea helping Blueye grow on the East Coast

One of our partners, V2Subsea, is located in Newport, Rhode Island. This is a strategic area to help Blueye to grow in the American market. The offshore wind industry and the Blue economy are expanding rapidly, as well as a striving maritime environment.

In addition to his key location, we were pleased to learn that V2Subsea's founder, Dustin Varnell, was already a Blueye user from his previous marine and offshore experiences. This ensured us; he had a high-level understanding of our underwater technology from the start. Dustin expressed that he had always found Blueye's technology to be durable and reliable, which created a strong base to build the commercial relationship on.

The professional use of underwater drones is clearly increasing, and the fact that Blueye can offer in-app reporting and live streaming is really a game-changer.
- Dustin Varnell, Founder of V2Subsea

Today, V2Subsea offers Blueye underwater drone sales, training, and services such as hull surveys, search and rescue support, pier inspections and mooring-chain inspections.

V2Subsea - Blueye Partner
Dustin Varnell, founder of V2Subsea. Photo: V2Subsea

Countless options for using underwater drones

No matter how you prefer to conduct your inspections or for what purpose, it’s always good to take a closer look at the possibilities. These three customer stories only represent a small portion of the countless opportunities out there. The US Army Corps of Engineers is using a Blueye underwater drone. A leading marine coating company is frequently inspecting vessels for fouling on the East Coast. Blueye drones detect contraband in the Gulf of Mexico. Hydroelectric dams require yearly inspections in California. Environmental researchers trust us while performing benthic surveys.

What's your use-case?

Blueye Pro with Zarges at the Marina
Blueye Pro drone with reel and Zarges transportation case. Photo: Blueye Robotics