NOAA Survey Of Remotely Operated Vehicles Available

The number of so-called remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) in use today has increased 1,000 percent in the past five years, according to a report by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

Today about 180 ROVs are in use or being built around the world, mainly for the oil and gas industry. An additional 120, not covered in the NOAA survey, are being used by various navies to neutralize explosive mines. Other main users of the small underwater units include the military and the scientific research community.

The vehicles are used industrially for inspection of underwater structures, monitoring of beneaththe- surface activities, a s s i s t i ng divers, bulldozing and trenching the ocean floor, and a variety of other purposes. Some research ROVs are capable of fine-grained mapping, water sampling, and radiation measurements; while others have been used for under-ice profiling, wake turbulence measurements, and profiling of conductivity, temperature, and pressure.

The governments of several nations, as well as private industry, are sponsoring research and development into additional uses of ROVs.

NOAA's survey, entitled "Remotely Operated Vehicles," was conducted by R. Frank Busby Associates, Inc., an Arlington, Va., consulting firm. The report describes in detail the construction characteristics, and uses of ROVs throughout the world, as well as problems encountered by the various types, and r e c o m m e n d ed areas of research and development.

Specifications and photographs of nearly 100 ROVs are included.

Copies of the report may be obtained from the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C.

20402, for $7.50 each.

Maritime Reporter Magazine, page 43, Feb 1980

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First published in 1881 Maritime Reporter is the world's largest audited circulation publication serving the global maritime industry.