Engineers are developing a fleet of 85-metre-long vessels that will deploy underwater vehicles for tasks like pipeline inspection while their operators remain onshore.
The US Navy has previously repurposed a cargo vessel to pass through the Panama Canal largely uncrewed. The new fleet, however, is being developed to be robotic from the outset, a first for vessels of this size.
Norwegian shipbuilding firm VARD is constructing the six multi-purpose offshore vessels (MPOVs) for marine robotics company Ocean Infinity, based in Southampton, UK. The vessels have a 鈥渕oonpool鈥�, an opening in the hull to launch and recover remotely operated vehicles (ROVs).
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The vessels may initially have some crew on board, but the aim is for them to be fully automated when the fleet launches in 2025.
鈥淭heir tasks could include checking the integrity of subsea cabling and pipe networks, geotechnical seabed drilling activity, and maintenance of offshore installations, including light construction work for floating wind infrastructure,鈥� says Dan Hook at Ocean Infinity. Such jobs currently require crews of between 50 and 60 people. Automating the process should help cut costs.
The ROVs will carry out these tasks using cameras and sonar, just as they would if they were launched from a crewed vessel. In this instance, however, the operators will remain onshore, with the vehicles being sent out and recovered autonomously.
Ocean Infinity already operates smaller robotic vessels, measuring 36 metres, but scaling up will allow them to do more.
鈥淎dvantages of the larger vessels include the amount of technology and robotic capability they can carry, also an increased range and their ability to operate safely in more challenging sea states,鈥� says Hook.
鈥淟arge, crewed vessels typically used in the offshore sector are generally expensive to operate,鈥� says at the University of Southampton. 鈥淭he new vessels enable a more targeted approach to the inspection and light maintenance aspects of the sector.鈥�
