ARGEO ORDERS TWO SEARAPTOR AUVS FOR
ULTRA-DEEPWATER SURVEYS
Courtesy of Argeo
Argeo has placed an order for two new-build SeaRaptor 6000 Autonomous Underwater Vehicles from Teledyne Gavia, with first delivery taking place early Q4 2021 and next delivery taking place Q1 of 2022. The delivery includes several ancillary system components, software, and crew training. In parallel with acquiring the AUVs, Argeo has secured a deep-water survey in the Pacific region for an un-named scheduled in several projects over a three-year campaign, and potential for further extension.
If we're looking for deep sea minerals on the Norwegian continental shelf – near the mid-Atlantic ridge – then in two years’ time as an example, a long range AUV could be launched from Tromso, north of the Polar Circle to go out, acquire data for 8 days, and come back again. Or it could be sent from Stavanger to the UK for a survey and come back again. With long distance AUVs there is now a tremendous scope for technology, and it is endurance that’s really paving the way for these solutions. Argeo – established in 2017 with offices in Asker and Tromsø, Norway – is on a mission to transform the survey and inspection industry in this way. That is their game plan. They think that the future of offshore survey will look completely different in 5 years’ time.
Initially, the company started becoming experts on the data side before moving into the robotics game to make sure that they could handle the complete the workflow from survey, and the acquisition of data to the digital export. They also have a new project launched last year; a digital twin of the ocean space. From a survey campaign they can present their customers with a digital representation of segments that they’re working on, from inception to decommissioning. This gives a completely different view of the data when it comes to decision making. Although they’re working closely with Teledyne and other vendors on the AUVs, they also design and develop their own USV surface robotics solutions with another Norwegian company, Maritime Robotics. They’ve created a brand-new,
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