We hardly even notice it anymore. We live under the illusion that we have everything at our fingertips, that we know every corner of the planet. All it takes is a query to an algorithm, a destination entered on a digital map, and in a matter of moments we get answers, routes, and travel times. The world now seems completely deciphered, translated into data, reduced to coordinates.
But is that really the case? Reality, as is often the case, runs deeper. Literally. Victor Vescovo reminds us of this: on May 7, 2019, he pushed human exploration to 10,935 [See: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr.2021.103644 the official US Government (NOAA) report on the fully calculated depth of Challenger Deep based on all 15 dives I made there] meters below sea level, to the bottom of the Mariana Trench, aboard the DSV Limiting Factor submersible. An absolute record that marks not a point of arrival, but rather the beginning of a new phase: that of the systematic understanding of the oceans.
It is from this awareness that Ocean Mapper was born, a project that brings together Vescovo and Espen Øino around a goal as simple as it is revolutionary: mapping the ocean floor on a global scale. On the occasion of the Day of Exploration—an event organized by the Yacht Club de Monaco in collaboration with The Explorers Club of New York, as part of the La Belle Classe Superyachts Environmental Symposium—Vescovo immediately got to the heart of the matter with a statement that sounded like a challenge: “Mapping the ocean floor is one of the last great frontiers of our planet. And, above all, we must figure out how to finally make it possible.”
The numbers, more than any rhetoric, convey the scale of the problem. Today, approximately 74% of the seabed remains unexplored, while only 26% has been mapped with an acceptable level of precision. And the pace of progress—around 2% per year—is not only insufficient but is slowing down, because the most accessible areas have already been explored. “We have better maps of Mars and the Moon than we do of Earth,” Vescovo observed. “Personally, I find that unacceptable.”
The paradox is even more evident when considering the requirements set by GEBCO (General Bathymetric Chart of the Oceans): below a depth of 5,700 meters, a resolution of 800 by 800 meters—less than one square kilometer—would suffice. Yet, not even this minimum standard has been met on a global scale. At this rate, achieving 80% coverage will take until at least 2055, and likely even longer.
The real issue, however, is not technological. It is economic. Large research vessels operate at daily costs ranging from $30,000 to $140,000, while the cost of mapping is between $20 and $70 per square kilometer. “There is no real commercial incentive to map the deep seabed,” Vescovo explained. Applications are limited, and when they do exist—as in the case of oil and gas—the data remains proprietary. Governments and philanthropy alone are not enough to sustain a global effort. This is where the paradigm shift begins.
The answer is to build a ship that does one thing: map. Not a multifunctional platform, but a system optimized around a single objective, built around the Kongsberg EM124 multibeam sonar, capable of operating at depths of up to 11,000 meters. Reducing size, crew, and fuel consumption to cut costs, while keeping operational capabilities intact. It is on this insight that Øino’s design work is based; he described the project with the clarity of someone accustomed to turning visions into concrete objects: “The brief was to do one thing. And it’s something absolutely unusual.”
The approach was radical: starting from a blank sheet of paper, analyzing global operational conditions together with Engineering IDS, and defining key parameters such as reliability, seakeeping, operational windows, and comfort, considering that the vessel can remain at sea for weeks. After studying various configurations—catamaran, trimaran, SWATH (small waterplane area twin hull)—and conducting numerous simulations in rough sea conditions, the conclusion was as simple as it was surprising: the best solution was a monohull. A compact 23-meter platform, organized according to a rigorous logic: technical systems and sonar at the bow, crew areas at the stern, where movements are more limited. Two cabins, the ability to operate with just one crew member, and a sonar gondola positioned at the optimal depth to ensure precision without compromising fuel efficiency.
From an operational standpoint, the numbers speak to the magnitude of the leap. The vessel is designed to operate approximately 310 days a year, at a speed of 10 knots, with a fuel consumption of about 400 gallons per day and an annual fuel cost approaching $500,000. But what changes radically is efficiency: between 2 and 3 million square kilometers mapped annually in deep waters, at a cost ranging from $3-4 per square kilometer—significantly lower than that of traditional platforms. The comparison is stark. “A NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration—Ed.) ship covers about 600,000–700,000 square kilometers a year,” Vescovo pointed out. This new platform can do three or four times that. Yet, it’s not enough: a fleet will be needed to complete the mapping.
The problem becomes even more complicated in coastal areas, which, paradoxically, are the most difficult to map. In shallow waters, sonar beams do not spread out, coverage is reduced, and efficiency plummets. Added to this are physical limitations that are difficult to overcome: above 10 knots, vibrations and noise compromise data quality.
This is where Vescovo’s vision expands and becomes a system. To truly tackle the problem, three different systems are needed: a ship for the deep sea, an intermediate vehicle—the SeaHare, a ground-effect drone capable of flying just above the water—and a vertical-takeoff drone equipped with LiDAR for shallower waters, down to about 30 meters deep. A combination of unconventional technologies that could drive costs down to as low as $2–3 per square kilometer in all three areas.
The project is already underway. “I’m building all three of these systems. It will take about two years,” Vescovo explained, offering a glimpse of a concrete roadmap that could lead to global mapping in 10–15 years, rather than decades. Ocean Mapper, then, is not just a ship. It is a paradigm shift. An attempt to transform one of the most complex scientific endeavors of our time into a solvable engineering problem. Because, despite everything, one fact remains the most surprising: more than half of our planet is still completely unknown.
Matteo Zaccagnino
