Analysis · Government, Defense & Space

EyeROV builds ROVs for undersea inspections

By Startup Enthusiast · 9 March 2026

What they do

EyeROV develops remotely operated vehicles for underwater inspections of ship hulls, dams, and pipelines

The startup has delivered ROVs to the Indian Navy and other government bodies

It aims to become a global leader in marine robotics

EyeROV was founded in 2017 in Kochi by Johns T Mathai and Kannappa Palaniappan P.
The startup develops remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) for underwater inspections.
Its products inspect ship hulls, dams, bridges, port structures, pipelines, and oil rigs.
The Indian Navy placed a ₹47 Cr order for Trout models after trials.
EyeROV was selected for the Defence India Startup Challenge under the iDEX scheme.
It has completed over 100 inspection projects.
The team has over 65 employees and is growing 2-3-fold every year.

The global commercial diving industry is $8.50 Bn, growing to $11.12 Bn by 2032.
Commercial diving has a fatality rate of up to 18 deaths per 10,000 divers per year.
India's undersea robotics market is $108.86 Mn, growing at 18.27% CAGR.
Government push for 'Make in India' technologies is fostering marine robotics startups.

EyeROV develops ROVs for underwater inspections of ship hulls, dams, bridges, port structures, pipelines, and oil rigs.
First product: Tuna, an ROV for inspections up to 100 m depth.
Second product: iBoat Alpha, an unmanned surface vehicle for water sampling and depth measurement.
Third product: Trout, an advanced ROV for open waters up to 300 m depth, built for the Indian Navy.
Fourth product: TS-ROV, a specialised ROV for tunnel and pipeline inspections with a 10 km range.
Tuna and Trout have a range of 500-800 m; most industry ROVs max at 1 km.
Customers include ONGC, BPCL, GAIL, Indian Navy, government research organisations, and port authorities.
75% of customers are government bodies and PSUs.
The company designs ROVs in-house with a highly localised supply chain.

Vision: become global leader in marine robotics, build in India and sell to the world.
Expanding to Southeast Asia; currently operating in India, Middle East, Europe.

Product: AI-powered remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) and unmanned surface vessels (USVs) for underwater inspection and surveillance.
Customers: Infrastructure, energy, and defence organisations, including power utilities, oil and gas companies, ports, and government bodies like the Indian Navy.
How it makes money: Sells ROVs and USVs and provides underwater inspection services on a project basis.
What sets it apart: Indigenously developed, tested in extreme conditions including Antarctic Sea and deep-water volcanic studies.
Operations: Has executed over 150 projects for more than 80 clients across power, oil and gas, ports, shipping, and government sectors.