UK: SMD Marks Significant Development in ROV Business

In August 2008 SMD delivered a Quasar vehicle to the Marine Institute. This vehicle (known as Holland 1) has recently been used in a scientific mission, which discovered a previously unknown ecosystem on the floor of the Atlantic Ocean.

Holland 1 was required to operate more than 3km below the surface where it discovered and filmed evidence of a previously unknown ecosystem.

The discovery consisted of hydrothermal vents which occur when cracks in the Earth’s crust allow seawater to penetrate downwards into areas of subterranean volcanic activity. The seawater is super-heated, and the resulting high pressure steam jets upwards carrying deposits into the ocean creating what look like miniature volcanoes.

These black plumes of mineral rich heated sea water are permeated with suspended solids from the molten volcanic rock, creating very difficult working conditions for the ROV pilots.

Dr Andy Wheeler, who led the expedition said “On the first dive, we found the edge of the vent within two hours of arriving on the seafloor. Often the search for a vent takes much longer, and our success is a testament to the excellent equipment on board and the hard work and skill of everyone involved.”

In other ROV news, SMD have secured the first and second sales of the new Atom WROV system. The Atom is an ultra-compact Work Class ROV, comparable in size to top end electric ROVs but providing the customer with true Work Class capability. The system is suitable for drill support, IRM, survey and light construction duties and can be mobilised on vessels and rigs with limited deck space. Designed with ease of operation and maintenance in mind, Atom boasts the latest DVECS II distributed control system with graphical displays and pilot aids coupled to proven Curvetech™ hydraulic components.

The first Atom system to be sold was ordered by Allied Marine and Equipment (AME) of Malaysia. Albert Michael, AME’s Technical and Operations Director stated: “The purchase of AME’s first Atom system represents a major milestone in the evolution of AME as a fully integrated offshore services provider, raising the profile of ROV services within the suite of services offered to our clients. It is planned to use the Atom straight from delivery to support projects for major clients in the South East Asia region. “

Only two weeks after the first Atom order a second was placed by a Mediterranean based subsea contractor, who will use the Atom to support underwater laying and protection operations in various worldwide projects.

These two orders for Atom systems mark a significant development in SMD’s ROV business, extending the range of systems available to the market. The systems will be delivered in Q1 and Q2 2012, respectively.

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Subsea World News Staff , January 06, 2012;  Image: SMD