Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd announced that it conducted a test on a remotely operated subsea vehicle (subsea ROV) to inspect the submerged areas of the hull on an MOL Marine-operated cable-laying ship.
Specifically, MOL partnered with Sekido Co., Ltd.
Mainly, fouling of outboard equipment and vessel bottom may have a negative impact on vessel operation, such as reduced speed and higher fuel consumption, so such parts require periodic inspection and cleaning.
Traditionally, divers conduct such inspections, but weather and sea conditions affect the inspection work, and in some cases, requires more time and leads to higher costs.
In light of the difficulties, MOL proceeded to a demonstration test, that clearly showed the viability of checking for faults and damage to submerged outboard equipment and determining the status of damage to the ship bottom using a subsea ROV.
Those taking part to the test, confirmed the operability of the subsea ROV and the precision of the video images, and also verified the method’s efficiency, safety, reliability as an alternative to conventional inspection by a diver.
