OMS Group Buys Second DriX Vessel for Cable Surveys
OMS Group Buys Second DriX Vessel for Cable Surveys
By Mark Tarre, DataCenterNews Asia
April 10, 2026
OMS Group has acquired a second DriX O-16 uncrewed surface vessel from Exail, expanding its survey fleet for subsea cable installation work.
The new vessel will join the first DriX O-16 purchased last year, which is due to be launched in mid-2026 under the name USV Elite. The two vessels will support cable installation campaigns worldwide, carrying out seabed surveys, route verification and monitoring for telecommunications cable infrastructure.
The deal is part of a broader push by the Kuala Lumpur-based group to use autonomous systems in offshore work. OMS plans to integrate the DriX O-16 into its survey set-up alongside planned autonomous underwater vehicles and a remote operations centre in Singapore for supervision, data validation and multi-vehicle operations.
The DriX O-16 is designed for extended offshore missions, with an operational endurance of up to 30 days and a range of about 3,500 nautical miles. It can carry survey equipment including the Kongsberg EM124 multibeam echo sounder, used for seabed mapping on large subsea infrastructure projects.
Market demand
Demand for subsea cable capacity has risen as telecommunications networks, cloud services and data centre traffic expand. That has increased pressure on marine contractors and infrastructure operators to survey routes efficiently before installation and monitor assets after deployment.
OMS operates across submarine cable installation, marine maintenance and related support services through its OMS Telco division. It has five owned cable vessels in service and four more under construction, while its LitUp Network business provides terrestrial services including cable landing stations, network backhaul, data centre connectivity and fibre ownership.
“As global demand for subsea digital infrastructure continues to grow, advanced survey capability has become increasingly important. The deployment of the DriX O-16 strengthens our ability to deliver high-quality seabed data with greater safety, lower emissions, and improved operational resilience, particularly for long-duration and remote offshore missions,” said Ronnie Lim, Group Chief Executive Officer, OMS Group.
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