In collaboration with the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and the NOAA Office of Exploration & Research, OET designed and built a sister ROV system to complement the Hercules and Argus ROVs. The system provides OET with the nimbleness to conduct missions in multiple regions over the course of a year that would otherwise not be efficient to deploy solely from E/V Nautilus.
This telepresence-enabled ROV system, which was brought online in 2019 and 2020, is composed of ROVs Little Hercules, Atalanta, as well as other equipment to provide OET with the flexibility of operating the system from a wide variety of commercial and academic research vessels. The system is capable of supporting exploration to depths up to 6000 meters with 4K imaging systems.
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Mobile ROV System At-A-Glance
Full Mobile ROV System
The full mobile ROV system supports all four of OET’s ROVs, an overboarding system suitable for operations to 6000 meters depth, and an ROV control room suite that can be configured with one, two, or three modified shipping containers (aka, “vans”). Additionally, the system includes a tool van, a spares van, winch, A-Frame, internet satellite dish, USBL navigation system, and other ancillary equipment.
Equipment Summary:
Component |
Weight |
Size |
Tool Van |
15000 lb |
20’ x 8’ x 9.5’ |
Control Van A – ROV |
18000 lb |
20’ x 8’ x 9.5’ |
Control Van B - Science |
15000 lb |
20’ x 8’ x 9.5’ |
Control Van C - Outreach |
15000 lb |
20’ x 8’ x 9.5’ |
Chiller Skid |
500 lb |
8’ x 7’ x 3’ |
Spares Van |
8000 lb |
20’ x 8’ x 9.5’ |
Science Wet Lab (rented) |
TBD |
20’ x 8’ x 8.5’ |
Satellite Dish |
2700 lb |
9’ x 9’ x 9’ |
421 Winch 421 HPU |
34 000lb 5600 lb |
10’ x 9’ x 12’ 8’ x 5’ x 7.5’ |
SOSI Winch SOSI HPU |
14000 lb 2500 lb |
7’ x 5’ x 7’ 6’ x 4’ x 5’ |
Aframe |
22500 lb |
17'x12'x18' |
Air Tuggers |
300 lb |
2’ x 2’ x 4’ |
Herc ROV |
6000 lb |
13’ x 6’ x 6’ |
Little Herc ROV |
1000 lb |
6’ x 4’ x 3’ |
Atalanta |
2000 lb |
7’ x 3’ x 4’ |
Nav Pole |
TBD |
TBD |
Crane |
TBD |
TBD |
Lightweight Mobile ROV System
The lightweight version of the mobile ROV system is ideal for smaller vessels and exploration targets that are less than 1800 meters deep. This configuration of the system includes ROVs Little Hercules and Atalanta, a one-van ROV control room, A-Frame, and a small winch.
Equipment Summary:
Component |
Weight |
Size |
Tool Van |
15000 lb |
20’ x 8’ x 9.5’ |
Control Van A – ROV |
18000 lb |
20’ x 8’ x 9.5’ |
Chiller Skid |
500 lb |
8’ x 7’ x 3’ |
SOSI Winch SOSI HPU |
14000 lb 2500 lb |
7’ x 5’ x 7’ 6’ x 4’ x 5’ |
Aframe |
22500 lb |
17'x12'x18' |
Air Tuggers |
300 lb |
2’ x 2’ x 4’ |
Little Herc ROV |
1000 lb |
6’ x 4’ x 3’ |
Atalanta |
2000 lb |
7’ x 3’ x 4’ |
Nav Pole |
TBD |
TBD |
Crane |
TBD |
TBD |
Learn more about chartering the mobile ROV system for a project or contact info@oet.org for more information.