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Subsea Vehicles been working for NPCC ever since, says ? eld,” says Mouries. “We’ve produced cal Sales Manager from L3Harris UK,

Mouries, an oceanographer by training, more than 10 platforms into Europe, says doing autonomous subsea inspec- with 12 years’ experience in the marine the Middle East and Asia, which is tion takes the “dull, dirty and danger- environment and marine pollution. why we’re able to develop these kinds ous” work off humans. Instead of hav-

While the vehicle is able to operate for of platforms.” For more companies to ing a 24m-long vessel with people on, 24 hours, including power drain from adopt these technologies mindsets need “bouncing around”, a 7m-long un- the ROV, it’s often not actually used for to change, she says. “Industry has to be manned boat can be used. It’s also not this long says Mouries, because survey/ ready to change their process of work just applicable to oil and gas, he says, hydrographic works do not need to be and it takes time to do that. The market but also offshore wind, where thousands carried out continuously, during all this is developing now, however. Minds are of structures need inspecting, as well as time. “This is the ? rst and I think still the changing.” the cables between them. It also reduces only one, with a young brother RSV Sea cost and increases repeatability, Cowles

Observer Compact, operating,” Mouries Increasing autonomy in says. Phase 1 of the ARISE project was adds. Indeed, following the work with harsher environments a feasibility study, part funded by Inno-

NPCC, in 2018, Marine Tech has also Indeed, BP has been looking at this vate UK. This saw a Saab Seaeye inspec- delivered an RSV Sea Observer Com- technology. The company, which speaks tion class Falcon ROV deployed from a pact, at 3.2m-long, with a BlueROV2 of a goal to have 100% of its subsea C-Worker 7 ASV with a 2.5 x 1m moon- onboard to IMODCO (an offshore load- inspection activities with unmanned pool. The ROV was kept in a hanger with ing terminal technology ? rm owned by systems by 2025, has been supporting a winch to pay out up to 50m of tether ? oating production technology compa- UK-based USV manufacturer L3Harris and a powered sheath wheel to maintain ny SBM Offshore). For IMODCO, it’s UK on project called ARISE. It stands tension. All the electronics were in an being used as part of the maintenance for Autonomous Robotic Intervention electronic enclosure and kept separate of offshore loading/of? oading buoys, System for Extreme Maritime Envi- from main control system. ROV control including single mooring line surveys. ronments, an Innovate UK part-funded was treated it similar to other payloads,

Again, it’s still being used since go- project which involved the University of with a remote desk top connection via ing into work two years’ ago. “We’ve Exeter as an academic partner. radio link, providing robust control of been working nearly 10 years in this James Cowles, Commercial Techni- the ROV. The ROV was tracked using an

Marine Tech has supplied

RSV-ROV systems to IMODCO for CALM buoy inspection operations.

Inset Above:

MARINE TECH-RSV SO

Compact in operation.

Main photo: Photo from IMODCO. Inset: Copyright MARINE TECH

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