Towards autonomous seas

Walking the floor at Oceanology International, the leading marine technology show in London in March, highlighted just how quickly our industry is changing.

A huge number of autonomous vessels – whether surface or subsea – new and ever more impressive communication solutions based around satellites and data, and huge flying drones which can deploy a Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) out at sea at a moment’s notice were on display.

Alongside them were comfortable ROV piloting stations and increasingly sophisticated mock Remote Operations Centres (ROC). Delegates could sit down, run a simulation, and get a real feel for the technology and how it might work for their own operations.

ROCs can play a pivotal role in improving subsea activity by enabling efficient and safe ROV operations from 
onshore locations. They ensure flexibility and reduce risk to employees, while contributing to environmental sustainability, by minimising the offshore presence required.

Thanks to improved technology and communication, ROCs are becoming increasingly important to ROV operations. Technology is always evolving, and the latest ROCs can integrate with real-time monitoring and enhanced decision-making thanks to the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Even without these cutting-edge innovations, remote piloting – by its very nature – brings additional layers of complexity to offshore operations.

If piloting remotely, there is a need for reliable connectivity and low-latency data connections and IT security becomes fundamental to any project’s success. More than this though, there is often a reluctance to totally trust remote operations with industry concerns around reliability, safety, and performance.

The increasing importance of ROCs for ROV programmes, and the need to build trust in remote operations, has not been lost on IMCA and its ROV committee. This is why the latest major revision of our Guidance, The Safe and Efficient Operation of ROVs (IMCA R004), includes recommended best practice around ROCs for the very first time.

A new dedicated chapter highlights the differences between remote and standard ROV operations, covering issues such as access and security, tasks, pre and post dive checks, launch and recovery, remote handover, situational awareness, emergency protocols, network and verbal communications, working periods, team size, and documentation requirements. All of which are crucial to ensuring the safe and consistent use of remote operations for ROVs through ROCs.

This is one-way that IMCA is aiming to help support the industry build confidence in ROCs, their successful deployment, and increased reliability of remote operations more generally. We also hope our approach will provide a framework for future revisions which acknowledge upcoming changes in technology and regulation in an ever-evolving arena.

Recognising the potentially seismic shift of MASS (Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships), IMCA has also been engaging with the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) to ensure that the specific requirements of our industry are recognised  in the upcoming global regulation around autonomous vessels.

For remote piloting, this could have a range of impacts. Taking just one aspect of ROV operations – training and accreditation – could we see a shift from the traditional ROV Pilot Technician to a ‘leaner’ role of ROV Pilot? In our new and emerging world, many working onshore will not regularly need to see a ROV, could it also mean the return of a Submersible Engineer role which specialises in offshore maintenance?

These are some examples of the types of questions we will need to find answers to. While we have a way to go, the course charted is completely clear – the future is increasingly automated and increasingly remote, and we will, as an industry, need to be ready.

This article originally appeared in Ocean Robotics Planet.