Offshore surveyor Fugro has ordered a Hydramec launch and recovery system for its new uncrewed surface vessels recently ordered from Sea-Kit.
Fugro, based in the Netherlands, in August ordered two 12-meter SEA-KIT X class uncrewed surface vessels (USVs), with one bound for their Asia-Pacific region and the other for North Sea operations.
The first of the 12-meter SEA-KIT X class USVs is expected to be delivered to Fugro in Perth, Australia, in the fourth quarter of 2020 and will feature remotely operated vehicle (ROV) and autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) launch-and-recovery systems and station-keeping capabilities. The vessel will be used to conduct completely uncrewed ROV pipeline inspections in up to 400 meters water depth on Australia’s North West Shelf.
The second USV, which will have a similar fit-out, is scheduled for delivery to Fugro in Aberdeen in the first quarter of 2021.
Hydramec, which is to provide launch and recovery winches for the USVs, said it has worked with both Fugro and Sea-Kit to make sure the challenging specification requirements including space and weight restrictions were met.
"Our in-house design team modeled every aspect of the LARS system allowing Sea-Kit to place the models into their vessel hull to give a real-life representation of how the system will look once installed," Hydramec said.
The LARS systems will be of lightweight construction using carefully selected alloys and components to minimize the effect the payload has on vessel stability, Hydramec said.
The whole system will be controlled remotely from one of Fugro’s onshore Remote Operation Centres using a combination of a local control system, designed and built by Scantrol in Norway, and Fugro’s own over the horizon software and communication solutions.