AquaSmartXL

What AquaSmartXL does

AquaSmartXL is a Netherlands-based private company founded in 2016 and headquartered in Schiedam (Rotterdam area). It designs and operates remotely controlled aquatic drones equipped with a multi-sensor payload combining optical, infrared, and depth measurement cameras to inspect water-based infrastructure in, on, and below the surface. The drone platform streams real-time video and sensor data to operators who remain on shore, enabling inspection of port assets such as quay walls, jetties, terminals, and underwater structures in difficult-to-access or tidal locations. Data captured is geo-referenced, processed into 3D models and point clouds, and stored in the cloud for multi-year comparison, change detection, and predictive maintenance analysis.

The company delivers its technology through turnkey project management engagements rather than a SaaS or hardware-licensing model. Services include quick visual inspections, detailed standardized inspections, incident and collision reporting, 3D modeling for engineering support, and customized sensor or analytical solutions. Pricing is bespoke and project-based, with no publicly disclosed tiers; customers are engaged via direct contact and live demonstration requests. The primary customer segments are port operators, asset owners, and government organizations (including water authorities and municipalities), with insurers as a secondary segment for collision and damage documentation. VCA-certified operators and PPE-equipped crews are deployed on-site under the company's project management.

AquaSmartXL is supported by the PortXL accelerator programme, which is backed by major maritime corporates including Port of Rotterdam, Vopak, Boskalis, and Van Oord. Since 2023 the company participates as a Technology Provider in the DIOL (Develop Innovative Offshore Logistic) consortium — a 13-partner, 5-country (Netherlands, Denmark, Germany, Belgium, France) transnational project running to 2027 that supports the Esbjerg Declaration on offshore wind and green hydrogen logistics. The core team is described as 1-10 multi-disciplinary engineers led by founder and CEO Marlon Drinkwaard. No funding rounds, revenue figures, or institutional investors are publicly disclosed.

Name

AquaSmartXL

Legal name

AquaSmartXL

Website

https://aquasmartxl.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

AquaSmartXL is a Netherlands-based startup that operates remotely controlled aquatic drones with multi-sensor payloads to inspect port, harbour, and water infrastructure for port operators, asset owners, insurers, and government organisations, delivering 3D models and predictive maintenance data.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Aquatic Infrastructure Inspection Services

NAICS

Support Activities for Water Transportation (4883)

SIC

Industrial Instruments For Measurement, Display, And Control (3823)

akta.pro primary industry

Marine & Underwater Robotics (USVs/UUVs) (HDAAAIAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Underwater Inspection, Maintenance & Repair (UWILD, Diving/ROV, In-water Cleaning) (IMAJAFAJ), Underwater Hull Services (Diving, In-Water Cleaning, Propeller Polishing, Inspection) (TLAHAMAL)

Keywords

• Aquatic drone inspection
• Port infrastructure monitoring
• Underwater survey services
• Harbour asset inspection
• Marine 3D modeling

Headquarters

HQ city

Rotterdam

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Drone Inspection Services: Turnkey project management delivering aquatic drone inspection services to port operators, asset owners, insurers, and government organisations. Services include quick visual inspections, detailed standardised inspections, incident/collision reporting, and 3D modeling for engineering support. Revenue generated through project-based professional services engagements.
2. Data Analytics and Reporting: Data processing, visualisation, and analysis services. Includes visual inspection reports for incidents, enhanced 3D models with inspection remarks, GIS integration, and long-term data comparison for predictive maintenance tracking.
3. Customised Solutions and Engineering Support: Customised sensor solutions and project-specific adaptations. Includes off-site inspections, reliability centred maintenance analysis, risk mitigation reports, collision reports, and model comparisons for engineering or insurance purposes.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

AquaSmartXL delivers turnkey aquatic drone inspection services for port and water-based infrastructure. It deploys remotely controlled unmanned nautical craft equipped with optical, infrared, and depth-measurement sensors to inspect quay walls, jetties, terminals, and underwater assets in difficult, dangerous, or tidal locations. The company combines drone operations with 3D modeling, geo-referenced data storage, GIS integration, and predictive maintenance reporting for port operators, asset owners, insurers, and government organisations.

Product overview

AquaSmartXL offers a single unified product system: an Aquatic Drone platform with integrated inspection and data services. The core offering consists of remotely controlled aquatic drones equipped with optical, infrared, and depth measurement sensors. This platform is complemented by service modules including 3D modeling and point cloud services, predictive maintenance support, and turnkey project management. The system enables observation and inspection of port assets and their surroundings, delivering visual inspection reports, 3D models, geo-referenced data, and incident reports for maintenance, risk mitigation, and insurance purposes.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Aquatic Drone Platform A flexible, quick-to-deploy remotely controlled aquatic drone platform equipped with high-quality optical, infrared, and depth-measurement sensors for observing and inspecting assets and their surroundings in, on, or below the water surface. Designed for port operators, asset owners, insurers, and government organisations needing access to difficult or hazardous water locations.
• Inspection Services Visual inspections, detailed and standardised inspections of complex structures, off-site inspection reports, collision reports, and asset condition assessments for maintenance, lifespan development, risk mitigation, and insurance purposes. Delivered through turnkey project management with VCA-certified operators.
• 3D Modeling & Point Cloud Services Capture and analysis of detailed geo-referenced 3D models from drone-collected data, integrated with GIS applications. Enables zooming into details from different angles, adding inspection remarks, and comparing current scans with original plans or historic data for change detection over time.
• Turnkey Project Management Full-service project management for port operators, asset owners, insurers, and government organisations covering intake, scope definition, project preparation, safety protocols, drone operations, and data analysis. Delivered by VCA-certified operators using AquaSmartXL's drone platform.

Quantifiable outcome

• Inspection time reduced - allows quicker inspection compared to traditional methods
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability7 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• DIOL Project ConsortiumcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023AquaSmartXL participates as a Technology Provider in the DIOL (Develop Innovative Offshore Logistic) project, a transnational initiative supporting the Esbjerg Declaration to transform the North Sea into a Green Power Plant of Europe. The project runs 2023-2027 with 13 partners across 5 countries (Denmark, Germany, Belgium, Netherlands, France). Partners include: Airport of Esbjerg, Port of Esbjerg, Port of Cuxhaven (Nports), Airport Den Helder, Port of Oostende, Port of Brest, VIVES, Fraunhofer, H2X Ecosystems, Brittany Aviation, Skeydrones, SeaTopic.
• PortXL AcceleratorcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAquaSmartXL was supported in its growth by the PortXL accelerator programme. PortXL is an initiative organisation supported by corporates including Port of Rotterdam, Vopak, Boskalis, and Van Oord. The accelerator provided mentorship and growth support for the startup.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Sonardyne: Marine technology vendor supplying acoustic positioning, sensing, and imaging hardware for subsea operations. Functions as an adjacent infrastructure/sensor provider to aquatic inspection service providers rather than a direct competitor.

Direct peers

• Deep Trekker: Canadian manufacturer of ROVs and remotely operated aquatic platforms used for underwater inspection of infrastructure including ports, dams, and tanks. Comparable product category (remotely operated underwater/aquatic vehicles for inspection) and overlapping customers in infrastructure and municipal water.
• Maritime Robotics: Norwegian provider of unmanned surface vehicles (USVs) for marine surveying and inspection. Most directly comparable to AquaSmartXL given its focus on remotely controlled nautical craft for waterway and coastal data capture.
• SeaTerra: European underwater inspection and survey services firm serving port, harbor, and offshore clients. Comparable service model for in-water inspection of port and marine infrastructure.
• Bedrock Ocean: US-based provider of autonomous underwater inspection services for marine and water infrastructure. Directly comparable service-led offering for underwater asset inspection using remote vehicles.

Broad incumbents

• Kongsberg Maritime: Large marine technology incumbent with a portfolio that includes USVs, AUVs, and subsea sensors. Overlaps with AquaSmartXL in nautical robotics and underwater sensing but serves a much broader maritime customer base.
• Teledyne Marine: Broad incumbent offering underwater imaging, sonar, and ROV systems for marine inspection and survey. Comparable in the underwater optical and acoustic sensor domain but with a much wider product portfolio.
• Saab Seaeye: Established manufacturer of electric ROVs widely used for underwater inspection of ports, pipelines, and offshore structures. Competes with AquaSmartXL's drone-based approach using a different but overlapping vehicle platform.

Emerging players

• Saildrone: US-based provider of wind- and solar-powered autonomous sailing USVs for ocean data collection. Comparable in nautical USV technology but primarily focused on open-ocean survey rather than port and infrastructure inspection.
• Hydromea: Swiss startup developing underwater wireless robotics and autonomous inspection platforms for submerged infrastructure. Comparable emerging-player profile in underwater robotics with overlapping infrastructure-inspection use cases.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/aquasmartxl
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/aquasmartxl

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about AquaSmartXL