Remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) are a versatile tool used to assist commercial divers and maritime contractors in performing inspections in both enclosed spaces and offshore, open water applications. Submersible ROV company Deep Trekker provides a straightforward, efficient and safe inspection tool for everything from ship hulls to dry docking blocks.
Protecting the integrity of a ship’s hull is extremely important in order to keep a vessel at its top performance. Hull damage or fouling can not only affect the overall speed and fuel efficiency of a ship, but can also be harmful to the crew, cargo, and has the potential to negatively impact surrounding marine life. The physical ability of the ship to cut through the water in an efficient manner is imperative for optimal performance and fuel economy.
While necessary, hull inspections can be an incredibly difficult task. Dry docking is expensive and laborious, while dive inspections can pose potential danger to humans in addition to being costly and time consuming.
Submersible remotely operated vehicles or ROVS provide a cost-efficient, portable and user-friendly way to conduct hull inspections safely and quickly. Staying on top of hull inspections and maintenance allows organizations to make the most of their valuable time and budgets.
Underwater ROVs (Remotely Operated Vehicles) are submersible, robotic systems controlled by users topside or on shore.
ROVs offer convenient solutions for UWILD inspections, diagnosis of damage response and equipment failure inspections, blocking/pre-drydocking checks, pre-operation/charter vessel surveys, and quality assurance, among numerous other tasks such as retrieving lost items and ensuring port security with contraband inspections.
Deep Trekker has two underwater ROV models; the DTG3 and the REVOLUTION. Deep Trekker ROVs are designed for maximum portability and maneuverability. Its compact size and onboard battery power allows access to remote locations. Advanced add-ons such as sonar enhance capabilities.
The use of a submersible ROV helps those in the maritime industry optimize their operations in two crucial areas; time and money.
The use of ROVs allow teams to optimize their time. External vendors can impact overall project timelines due to conflicting schedules of availability. With the safety concerns of having divers in the water, there can be delays to ensure that the vessel is in a condition that is stable and safe enough for dive operations. As ROVs can be operated by one person, it is deployed significantly faster than divers and allows for schedule flexibility, as well as operational flexibility, as diver health is not a concern. Vehicles can be deployed at a moment’s notice for everyday tasks such as block checks during drydocking, hull and running gear inspections, equipment failure investigations, etc.
Light enough to be manually carried from pier-to-pier or office-to-pier by one person, Deep Trekker vehicles are easy to transport to vessel locations. Shore power connection is not required for the battery operated vehicles, making deployment is quick and straightforward.
Information can also be easily organized and shared. Once underwater work is complete, the operator simply downloads the data to their computer to develop the dive report noting hull and equipment condition and pointing to any irregularities.
Optimizing budgets is crucial for the successful operation of any shipping operation. With an ROV on hand the amount of times in which dive teams need to be hired or ships need to be dry docked is significantly reduced.
Teams can proactively manage their fuel efficiency by conducting regular ROV inspections to determine optimal cleaning and paint schedules – even the smallest layer of fouling on ship hulls can cut down on the vessel’s performance. Conducting regular inspections to evaluate the marine growth will help prioritize when or if cleaning or painting must be conducted. Having extensive knowledge of the condition of their ships also allows organizations to efficiently manage maintenance schedules to minimize downtime. Having ships running at optimal condition through consistent ROV inspection ensures overall efficiency and effectiveness to make the most out of budgets.
The condition of ports and harbours also play a serious role in the effectiveness of your ship. ROVs allow users to explore the area surrounding the boat to ensure that all underwater segments of a harbour are functioning in a safe and effective manner. Lost equipment or shipments can also be located and identified, allowing users to provide verification to those concerned.
In short, the use of an underwater ROV helps teams optimize their operations by making necessary, everyday inspections quick, accessible and affordable.
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