Page 24: of Marine Technology Magazine (November 2010)

The View from St. John’s

For these purposes GRI is partner- ing with Dynamic Systems Analysis (DSA) of Halifax to develop the interface that integrates DSA’s riser model and analysis software into the

FDK, and with Hudson Solutions

Group of Houston to enable real- time access and display of historical documents including video and pro- duction process data such as pres- sures, temperatures, and alarm status.

When Marport Deep Sea

Technologies Inc. (http://www.marport.com/) devel- oped the SQX-500 AUV, they mar- ried the twin-pod design developed by the Woods Hole Oceanographic

Institute to a unique 3D thrust-vec- toring system which “allows almost an unprecedented degree of maneu- verability for an AUV,” said Neil

Riggs, Vice President, Research and

Development and Project Manager,

Autonomous Underwater Systems.

The unit’s propulsion and control systems enable hovering, “turning on a dime,” and crabbing (moving side to side). The heavy components are in the bottom pod and the lighter com- ponents are in the upper pod, ensur- ing the center of buoyancy is consid- erably higher than the center of grav- ity and providing stability in pitch and roll.

The company performed tests and hydrodynamic experiments in the towing tank, ocean engineering basin, and cavitation tunnel test facilities at the National Research Council’s

Institute for Ocean Technology and the flume tank at the Fisheries and

Marine Institute of Memorial

University. Pressure, drag measure- ment, and full-scale propulsion tests were conducted as well as stability

PanGeo Subsea's Sub-Bottom Imager on work class ROV. 24 MTR November/December 2010 (Cr edit: PanGeo Subsea Inc.)