A robot boat built has successfully reached the coast of Ireland after completing a successful crossing of the Atlantic Ocean for the first time, two and a half months after setting off from Canada.

Offshore Sensing AS, a technology company based in Bergen, Norway, built the Sailbuoy Met to compete in a challenge for robotic boats, the so-called Microtransat Challenge. The vessel started its journey in Newfoundland, Canada, and traveled east to become the first unmanned sailboat to cross the Atlantic. It reached Ireland on August 26.

More than 20 teams have previously tried and failed to complete the race, with boats getting trapped in fishing nets or losing their way at sea.

“The reason for the Atlantic crossing was one, nobody’s done it before and two, it’s a very challenging crossing,” said David Peddie, the 51-year-old chief executive of Offshore Sensing.

The success of the Sailbuoy Met marks a significant achievement. The surfboard-shaped vessel was covered with solar panels to provide power for navigation and satellite communications kit linked to the Global Positioning System. With a sail mounted towards its rear, it traveled at a speed of three knots.

The project began in 2005 when Mr Peddie worked at Christian Michelsen Research, an independent research institution focused on building drifter buoys, anchored floats that could be steered rather than being left to drift on the sea’s surface.