HYDROGRAPHIC SURVEY
EMPHASISING THE IMPORTANCE OF OCEAN DATA Thousands of attendees can now testify to the fact that ocean data technology is getting better - if not bigger London’s Excel Centre in March hosted the first Oceanology International event since lockdowns made live events impossible, and the overarching theme was the importance of ocean data – obtaining it, Interpreting it, and then acting on it. Take MacArtney’s NOUS underwater surveillance system, for example, which allows real-time viewing of priceless ‘underwater museums’ such as the Peristera, a Greek shipwreck in the Aegean Sea that the country’s Ministry of Culture is protecting by prohibiting diving or snorkelling above it. Dubbed the ‘Parthenon of shipwrecks’, the Peristera sank in the late 5th Century BC in the largest marine-protected area in Europe. Using underwater pluggable electrical SubConn connectors to combine signal and power, MacArtney’s NOUS works on a machine-learned algorithm to provide real-time video of the wreck site streamed via five underwater cameras. Fugro unveils first ROV to be launched from mother ROV Fugro was one of the show’s 447 exhibitors, and one of many to launch their very latest in technology – in Fugro’s case, the first remotely operated vessel to be housed and launched from a mother uncrewed surface vessel. Fugro gave live demonstrations of the 12m Blue Essence USV at the Royal Victoria dock, demonstrating how operators in Aberdeen, the Scottish city 860 miles away from London, could control the launch and recovery of Blue Volta, by Blueye Robotics, the first ROV in the world that can operate via Fugro’s global network of remote operations centres. Designed to withstand harsh conditions, the polypropylene frame protects it and its high-spec range of sensors for inspection and light that Fugro says would not normally be found in an ROV of this size – a mere 1500mm(l) x 650mm (h) x880mm (w). Blue Volta can be launched on a dedicated launch sled and umbilical management system to a maximum depth of 450m, or with simple modifications, as low as 1,000 msw. “We look at the advantages that uncrewed solutions offer, and particularly taking people out of the hazardous offshore environment is the principal benefit,” said Dan Jones, service line director for Fugro in its Aberdeen Inspection, Repair and Maintenance services. “We have an operational limit with the ROV in the water of 10 days – we’ve operated it for approximately six days so far with no fuel requirements – and that gives us access to approximately 100 miles offshore.” The vessel can conduct surface survey of the sea floor to inspect subsea cables, for example, using sonar with ranges of up to 100 metres. HUGIN Edge draws crowds The extremely slick-looking HUGIN Edge by Kongsberg Maritime drew possibly the biggest crowd when unveiled at Oi. Extensive hydrodynamic modelling together with
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Kongsberg’s carbon monocoque design and a refined lowdrag hull shape are some of the reasons why the company’s latest brightly coloured autonomous underwater vehicle is being hailed as the most advanced AUV yet. The machine has been configured for ease of deployment from all platforms and offers new sonar design, providing 3D sensing capabilities for improved trajectory planning and directional collision avoidance, couple with traditional forward-scanning methodology. It is also equipped with open interfaces that can be integrated with third party planning and mission management tools, specifically designed to optimise results. ”Mission objectives may include sounding density or detection probability, enabling the AUV to calculate the actual waypoints, operational parameters and sensor configuration,” says the company. ”In-mission adaptive execution allows HUGIN Edge to make several decisions autonomously, continuously replanning during mission execution as more information about the surrounding environment is gathered by the sensors.” The smallest of the HUGIN family, Edge is less than four metres long and weighs just 300kg, with batteries providing the power supply. Hear VP of Marine Robotics Sales Richard Mills at the Oi event speaking to MJ editor Debbie Mason in our podcast here. “After two years of disruption across the different industries we serve it was hugely satisfying to be able to open Oi in London,” said show director David Ince. “We saw thousands of ocean professionals getting back to the core of our business, face-to-face events.” Oceanology International returns to London in 2024, but next year will also be held in San Diego and Abu Dhabi.
8 MacArtney subsea camera
8 HUGIN Edge AUV, by Kongsberg Maritime
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