Page 21: of Marine Technology Magazine (May 2020)

TRONDHEIM — A cursory glance back of servicing nodes for a growing seabed means Mariner II can operate for fve at 2019 is enough to suggest it was node survey market. days of diesel-electric hybrid or fve days

The Year of the Pirate, as all manner of The same scientifc community would of fully electric operations. Rounding offshore vessel was attacked from the confrm another need: nearshore, river- out the improvements is a better LARS

Singapore Strait to the Gulf of Guinea. bed and offshore bathymetric surveys. — the Mariner II now fts into a 20-foot

Heavy lift, diving-support, offshore sup- The Mariner II can do large-scale bathy- container — and it deploys its payload ply and seismic vessels were all attacked. metric surveys nearly on its own, both and sensors through its own moonpool.

Their crews, at best, retreated to an ar- in shallow and deep water. With Janu- It’s battery can also now be changed out mored wheelhouse. Some caught in the ary 2020 effectively its launch, just one in two minutes open or amidships were kidnapped. Mariner II has been sold, although likely A better payload is understood to pri-

For the crews of seismic survey vessels, clients are lined up for three more sales. marily be aimed at the bathymetric sur- splashing around in a dinghy to share The main improvements of these over vey market. Mariner II’s LIDAR sensors, data with a seabed seismic survey node the original Mariner appear to be easier like those on the company’s Otter survey offshore the Niger Delta would seem service for USV and node; new collision catamaran, have brought interest from like baiting pirates. That vulnerability avoidance; better endurance and larger port authorities; dredging companies and to attack is but one weakness the new sensor arrays and payload. At upwards fsheries people keen to understand and

Mariner II USV addresses by robotically of EUR 300,000 each, they’re customiz- map seabed conditions quickly. A logi- going out to up-link the valuable data in able. cal next market would be offshore wind. seabed seismic survey nodes. With its Oh, and the Mariner II USV is a hybrid. So, while the EUR 48,000 Otter USV close marine ties to Norwegian offshore It’s a hybrid in terms of power and pro- seems ideal for riverbed surveys, LIDAR feets — even in university town, Trond- pulsion and for incorporating elements in both UAVs has assured work with port heim, with its scientifc community — from Maritime Robotics other offer- authorities in Asia, the U.S. and Europe.

Maritime Robotics could check the value ings. A more effcient propulsion system www.marinetechnologynews.com

Marine Technology Reporter 21