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Scaling OBN with the Reef containerised system
9 Apr 2026
In the world of ocean bottom node (OBN) surveys, the “operational heavy lifting” has traditionally been the literal weight of the equipment and the massive infrastructure required to support it. While Shearwater's Pearl node solved the first half of that equation, shrinking node weight from 20kg to a manageable 6kg, the second half remained: how do we make high-speed data harvesting and charging truly mobile?
The answer is the Reef containerised system.
Plug-and-play scalability
The beauty of the Reef container lies in its modularity. Because Pearl nodes are completely wireless, there is no cable spaghetti or complex wiring.
- Rapid mobilisation: if a vessel and the Reef container meet in port, the project is ready to go. No costly shipyard conversions or bespoke infrastructure required.
- Unlimited throughput: need to scale up for a massive survey? Simply add more Reef racks or additional containers. The system is designed to grow with the project's data demands.
- End-to-end environment: the solution isn't just a charging rack. It includes a dedicated instrument room container for data storage and processing, giving the processing team a controlled environment to turn raw data into insights straight away.
Focusing on the outcome, not the effort
For the offshore crew, the Reef system simplifies the workflow to a single action: shelving the node. Once the 6kg Pearl node is placed in the rack, automation takes over. This reduces manual handling; limits fatigue and ensures a predictable turnaround time between deployments.
By moving Reef into a standardised container, we're giving clients the ability to execute high-density OBN surveys with more agility and less risk than ever before. Whether it's augmenting the capacity of existing vessels or standing up a new operation in a remote region, the Reef system ensures the data is the only thing that's heavy.
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