115 



A requirement for increased power to the vehicle and its instrumentation and 

 tools was also seen as inhibiting vehicle growth. Current procedures to correct 

 this problem (i.e., supply more power) would entail increasing the diameter of 

 the cable. This solution is unacceptable since it results in increased cable 

 drag and weight. 



4.21.C Sonar 



Since the ROV market is relatively new and, in terms of other markets, relatively 

 small, components, such as obstacle avoidance or scanning sonars, are obtained 

 from equipment available for other vehicles - particularly manned submersibles. 

 In the case of scanning sonars, one operator stated that they are too heavy 

 and large for small ROVs, expensive and do not provide the required resolution. 

 Further, the range of available scanning sonars has been dictated by the needs 

 of manned vehicles. This range (500m or more) is not required by ROVs where a 

 maximum range of lOOirt' (328 ft) is thought to be adequate. 



4.21.d Communications 



Successful open sea operations of an ROV system relies upon dependable, continuous 

 and clear communications between, at a minimum, the support ship's master, 

 the vehicle pilot, the winch operator and the ship/vehicle navigator (s) . Several 

 incidents have occurred where the communications network broke down and the ROV 

 was lost or severely damaged. In one instance the vehicle's cable was fouled 

 around the anchor chain of a buoy it was inspecting. Instead of mooring the 

 support ship to the buoy during the inspection (permission was requested, but 

 denied) the support ship maintained station by its thrusters. Through a 

 misunderstanding on the part of the ship's Master the support ship backed down 

 and snapped the umbilical cable. In another incident the vehicle was inspecting 

 a structure to which the support ship was moored by its stern. The vehicle 

 surfaced near the bow of the vessel which at this time was swinging close to 

 the structure. To avoid collision with the structure the bow thrusters were 

 activated. The ROV was sucked into the thrusters and sunk. The vehicle's acoustic 

 beacon was tracked for 18 hours, but was subsequently lost. In both instances 

 the cause was ascribed to lack of communications between members of the ship's 

 crew and members of the vehicle's crew. 



4.21.e Personnel 



Industrial operators are almost unanimous in decrying the lack of - and need for - 

 qualified and experienced personnel. The type of personnel sought varies, 

 but those with a good electronic background and experience in undersea operations 

 and shipboard handling techniques are most desired. Obviously, a person with 

 experience in operations and maintenance/repair of the operator's particular 

 vehicle is ideal, but since the industrial field is so young, this type of 

 individual is a rarity. 



No two operators have similar training programs. Some rely solely on on-the- 

 job training, others have formal in- house courses of from one week to three 

 weeks duration which include the areas of operations, maintenance and repair. 

 One operator also sends his personnel to a course prepared by the manufacturer 

 of his navigation system for two weeks of instruction in operations and repair. 

 A number of operators also send their key personnel to classes set up by the 



