It seems unfair that Eddie Noble cannot sit at the helm of his Sea Serpent Unmanned Surface Vessel, given how much effort he’s put into the project.
Noble and his team at Noble Concentric Solutions recently delivered the first full-scale proof-of-concept USV to a Saudi client in the Middle East where it underwent successful sea trials.
The 9.5m Unmanned Surface Vessel (USV) is a high-tech collaboration between Noble’s team, Legacy Marine, and Icarus Marine. Together, they’ve built a craft that doesn’t just follow a pre-set path—it “thinks.” Featuring IMO Level 4 autonomous navigation, the Sea Serpent can interpret its environment and dodge obstacles with almost zero human input.
Noble is already looking at the bigger picture. “We are now in the second phase, and hoping for a substantial order,” he says. The goal isn’t just to sell a boat, but to establish South Africa as a global hub for autonomous maritime technology.
“This is the first to be built, integrated, and tested right here in South Africa,” Eddie explains. “It’s designed for the ‘dull, dirty, and dangerous’—the stuff you don’t want a crew doing, like heavy-sea inspections, firefighting, or long-range harbour patrols.”