Lockheed Martin Develops Marlin Inspection System (USA)

Lockheed Martin Corp, the biggest supplier of information technology for Pentagon and the U.S. federal government, turns its focus on developing technology for the oil and gas industry, Reuters Reports.

A 10-foot unmanned submarine that uses sonar and other technologies has been developed in a waterfront facility outside Palm Beach, Florida. It has been constructed for the U.S. military for offshore oil rig inspection.

The technology, named Marlin, generated detailed 3D data during testing last year in the Gulf of Mexico.

Vice president of Lockheed’s mission and unmanned systems unit in Florida, Rich Holmberg, stated that there could be great prospect for the use of Marlin because of the growing number of offshore oil and gas platforms.

The new system can be programmed to autonomously survey an underwater object, and detect any changes. It then generates three-dimensional models that oil and gas companies can use to lower their high inspection costs.

This system could replace divers and tethered unmanned systems.

Marlin is designed to dive to 1,000 feet below the surface. The company is constructing a variant that would be able to service deep water platforms by diving to 12,000 feet, according to Dan McLeod, the creator of the Marlin program.

The company is also working with a subcontractor to integrate a three-dimensional laser that could improve the data gathered by Marlin.

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Subsea World News Staff , August 05, 2012; Image: Lockheed Martin