ROV Control Station Installations

No two vessels are the same and control station installation is always
a challenge on a new ship. Below are some of configurations.

Aboard the MV Mr. Omar off Tunisia.
It looks nice on this day but sometimes the doors were closed and the weather brutal.
Aboard the MV Pearl.
We make do with what's offered. Fortunately this was a short deployment (made even shorter when the umbilical was cut by the prop).
Exterior of installation at left. MV Merlin Diver
There is a purpose built control station but it was taken over for the side scan installation. This is the portable workstation. It's lagged into the wooden floor and all components strapped down
The Irish Marine Institute's MV Celtic Explorer.
It doesn't get better than this!
Irish Lights Vessel Granuaile
The workshop was taken over for the use as the control station.
Another view MV Merlin Diver
MV Merlin Diver

MV Merlin Diver

MV Merlin Diver
Annotated installation
MV Brudanes
Annotated installation

Lough Hyne Marine Preserve
van on road above lough.
generator can be seen ahead of van.
beam deployment of USBL transciever. ROV umb exits to left. control station in van detail of transciever attachment on beam

The transceiver for the tracking system was deployed at the end of a 6 metre length of 100mm plastic pipe. This floating pipe was anchored at the water's edge and oriented on an east/west axis.

The transceiver was attached at the outer end of the beam with its "bow" axis at 90° to that of the beam. This gave an accurate magnetic north orientation for the tracking system.

This deployment presented several problems. First was how to get the ROV down to the water. This was accomplished by loading the ROV into the UCC RIB at the western pier and driving it around. The second problem was that the tracking system is only designed to operate within a 150° spread beneath the transceiver. This was pushed to the extreme and very good tracking was attained at 180°; i.e. the ROV on the surface, sometimes 200 metres distant. The TrackLink system had no problem even though the transceiver was only 1.5 metres above the (steeply) sloping lough side. As the tide went out, this reduced to a couple of centimetres and then the signals became somewhat confused. The beam was moved out until there was sufficient depth beneath it again and the track settled back down. The maximum depth attained on the day was 52 metres at a range of about 90 metres.

for more information contact info@remote-presence.com

REMOTE PRESENCE , Lettertinlish, Skibbereen, County Cork, IRELAND
t = 353 (0) 28-21821, f = 353 (0) 28-21876, m = 353 (0) 87-805-1113

Updated 08 October 2008