Offshore staff
OSLO, Norway — Astilleros Gondán shipyard in Spain will construct an unmanned surface vessel (USV) for the USV AS joint venture between DeepOcean, Solstad Offshore and Østensjø.
The vessel will be engineered to reduce CO2 emissions by more than 90% and also operating expenses compared to conventional vessels deployed for subsea inspection, maintenance and repair (IMR) work.
Work on the concept started in 2018, with subsequent collaboration with clients, Salt Ship Design, various technology providers and the authorities to support the vessel’s capabilities.
Maritime Robotics will deliver the system that will provide auto-remote control and navigation for the 24-m-long, 7.5-m-wide vessel.
A hybrid diesel-electric propulsion system, including a battery package from Seam, will allow the USV to operate offshore for up to 30 days without the need for charging or refuelling. The vessel will also be equipped with a work ROV designed to work in water depths of up to 1,500 m.
Although the USV will be remotely controlled from shore, it will have numerous autonomous features to support safety and integrity. It is also engineered to operate in severe weather.
During operations, both the USV vessel crew, captain and ROV operators will be co-located in the same remote operating center.
“This is an excellent way of reducing cost, CO2 footprint and limiting personnel exposure to offshore operations,” said Øyvind Mikaelsen, chair of USV AS and CEO of DeepOcean.
To increase the working weather window, the vessel will have a newly developed launch and recovery system that allows work class ROVs to be operated from relatively small vessels.
“Protecting the integrity of the ROV and its tooling is key to be able to deliver reliable and safe, unmanned offshore operations," Mikaelsen added. “This is the cornerstone in developing this launch system instead of conventional moonpool or A-frame systems.”
In addition, the USV’s toolkit will allow it to perform most types of subsea inspection tasks and subsea interventions.
Astilleros Gondán is due to deliver the completed vessel by the end of next year. Following offshore testing, it should be ready for operations in 2025.
07.18.2023
