MOSCOW, January 20. /TASS/. The Russian market of unmanned surface vehicle services could increase eightfold by 2030, reaching 51 billion rubles ($657 million), according to the Marinet 5.0 analytical digest of the National Technology Initiative (NTI), the press service of the Agency for Strategic Initiatives (ASI) reported.

The NTI was formed by the ASI in 2014. Its goal is to unite businesspeople and experts to develop promising technology markets and industries in Russia.

"The domestic market for unmanned surface vehicle services could grow eightfold by 2030, reaching 51 billion rubles. By the end of 2025, steady growth was observed in the use of unmanned surface vessels in security, logistics, and aquaculture production. New niches are also emerging, including tourism and entertainment, energy sector applications, infrastructure monitoring, and underwater technical work," the report says.

However, the demand for unmanned surface vessels in scientific research, education, and environmental applications, including for water-surface cleansing, is expected to grow moderately. "A new unmanned surface vessel market is emerging on the basis of unmanned small size vessels and hybrid autonomous systems. A sharp increase in market capitalization is possible if customers massively transition from traditional maritime operations to robotic ones. More than 70% of them will be conducted in the spheres of security, logistics, aquaculture, and passenger transportation," said Vladimir Shumilov, head of the NTI Marinet 5.0 infrastructure center.

According to Shumilov, the effectiveness of unmanned technologies is currently unfolding on small platforms and in remote missions. He emphasized that the benefits of unmanned systems may be limited on larger vessels, as they typically already have a minimal crew complement. "In hydrography, monitoring, patrolling, fishing, and small-scale logistics, autonomy directly impacts time spent at sea, safety, and the cost of vessel ownership. One operator remotely controls 5-10 robots, thereby significantly saving human resources," Shumilov was quoted by the ASI press service as saying.

The Marinet market is one of the NTI's areas, focused on unmanned vessels and the technologies that promote their practical use. This area is developed with the support of the Agency for Strategic Initiatives.