Page 28: of Marine Technology Magazine (January 2013)

Vehicle Notes Offshore Surveyor series and are equipped with high- resolution side scan sonar, a multi-beam echo sounder, a sub-bottom proÞ ler, an ultra-short baseline position- ing system, long baseline (LBL), GPS and an inertial navigation system. The AUVs are used to provide ultra- high-resolution data for pipeline and platform inspec-tions; scour monitoring surveys; cable and pipe route surveys; and offshore wind farm surveys. For three years, NCS Survey has operated these vehicles in dif- Þ cult access and remote areas including the southern tip of Argentina. Additionally, the company has a high level of repeat business from clients like Shell, BP and ConocoPhillips. The vehicles are rated to 1000m but regularly operate in depths as shallow as 2m. They can perform in currents of more than 2 knots, under jackup drilling rigs and very close to Þ xed platform structures. Their modularity offers ease of transportation as no module weighs more than 25kg in its transit case.BlueÞ n Robotics said recently that it will produce a variation of the Knife- Þ sh UUV for the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL). KnifeÞ sh is a specialized BlueÞ n-21 UUV that is being developed for the Surface Mine Countermeasure Un- manned Underwater Vehicle (SMCM UUV) program for which BlueÞ n is under subcontract to General Dy- namics Advanced Information Systems. BlueÞ n com- pleted the KnifeÞ sh Preliminary Design Review earlier this year and will leverage that design to deliver a sys- tem to NRL. The vehicle will be used to advance NRLÕs low-frequency broadband (LFBB) payload technology and support their broader mission to advance basic and applied research in undersea warfare. ÒThis is just another example of how the UUV tech- nology is maturing into a reliable, robust platform op- tion for advancing new science and capability,Ó said David P. Kelly, President and CEO, BlueÞ n Robotics. BlueÞ nÕs technology has proven suitable for special- ized acoustic payloads like NRLÕs LFBB sonar. For the past 10 years, the two groups have been working closely together on developing and Þ elding the Reliant vehicle, a BlueÞ n-21 used as a science and technology system for the original LFBB development. ÒScience and defense programs are now mutually ben- eÞ tting from the investments made in the UUV technol- ogy. BlueÞ n has been a key contributor to that effort with the Reliant vehicle, their commercial systems, KnifeÞ sh, and now with our new UUV,Ó said Dr. Bri- an Houston, acting head of NRLÕs Physical Acoustics Branch. ÒThe science made possible with this vehicle will advance the nationÕs mine-hunting capabilities that can be incorporated into future generations of UUVs.Ó AGEOTEC?s Perseo GTV Mariscope ROV and oceanographic equipment for the Chilean environmental ministry. NCS Survey recently took delivery of two more Gavia AUVs. 28 MTRJanuary/February 2013 MTR #1 (18-33).indd 28MTR #1 (18-33).indd 281/30/2013 10:20:29 AM1/30/2013 10:20:29 AM