Government Agencies buy ROVs
Government
agencies continue to purchase JW Fishers SeaLion ROV including
the US State Department, a US Navy maintenance facility, and
an Emergency Management Agency in Wyoming.
An official at the Navy facility in Washington said
their group had spent a considerable amount of time
researching the various ROVs on the market today. “Several vendors came to our facility to demonstrate their
vehicles. We were
totally unimpressed with the performance of the micro ROVs.
The SeaLion best fit our requirements for power, rugged
construction, and an economical cost.”
The SeaLion utilizes a six motor
propulsion system; four horizontal thrusters and two vertical.
This arrangement provides the power to operate in
currents up to 3 knots and to “drag” extended lengths of
umbilical in pipeline
penetrations. With
vertical thrusters mounted at an angle on the each side of the
body, the ROV has tremendous maneuverability.
It can rotate 360 on its axis or crab sideways across
the bottom, a capability not found in many small ROVs.
The SeaLion’s color camera, assisted by four 100 watt
quartz halogen lights, produces high resolution video images
of the underwater environment with exceptional clarity.
To fit the varied requirements
of military, law enforcement, and public safety agencies, the
SeaLion is available with an extensive list of options which
allow it to be tailored to the mission.
Options for the system include a manipulator arm, metal
detector, scanning sonar, crash cage, 1,000 foot depth rated
housing, long umbilical lengths, and European format cameras.
Using the manipulator arm, the ROV can pick up a light
weight object off the bottom or carry a guide line down to a
submerged object. The
metal detector is a unique feature not offered by other ROV
makers. With the
detector attached to front of the vehicle, the SeaLion can
search for mines, bombs, unexploded ordnance, and weapons.
The scanning sonar allows the operator to “see” far
beyond the range of camera. The sonar can scan an area up to 200 feet in diameter around
the ROV, helping it quickly locate targets of interest.
Feedback from the agencies
provides an example of the variety of functions these ROVs
will serve. The
SeaLion purchased by the Department of State was sent to a US
Embassy on a Caribbean Island where it will assist the Coast
Guard in inspecting vessels bound for US waters.
The system purchased by Wyoming’s EMA will help law
enforcement agencies and public safety dive teams search for
drowning victims, locate sunken vessels and submerged
vehicles, and recover evidence that criminals dispose of in
lakes and rives. The
Navy’s SeaLion will be used for the inspection of various
ship’s hulls from aircraft carriers to submarines, and to
inspect other underwater structures at the facility.
It will also be a tool to aid in base security.
