SEAMOR ROV Applications

The SEAMOR ROV is an industry proven, portable inspection ROV with a versatile design for use in a wide range of applications and underwater inspection and/or tooling tasks. SEAMOR ROVs are specifically engineered to ensure that the end user is able to accomplish what is required given the task at hand.

SEAMOR Steelhead ROV

Modular & Open Frame Design

The SEAMOR ROVs are designed as a foundation for use in multiple applications or operations. Using a modular, open frame design, the one-person deployable vehicle hosts all the standard items required of an inspection class ROV while still having room for tooling and sensor expansion. The vehicle is light weight so can easily be deployed and retrieved by one person either using the accessible handle on the ROV or the Kevlar reinforced umbilical.

The controller layout is such that each feature of the ROV is clearly laid out so the operation and control of the vehicle is natural and ergonomic for a novice or an experienced pilot.

SEAMOR Open Frame Design

Customize Your ROV

Depending on your specific need, a twisted-pair or fibre optic tether are options for powering and communicating with the SEAMOR ROV. The SEAMOR ROV has a depth rating of 300m (1,000ft) and can be remotely operated using standard umbilical lengths of 165m (550ft), 335m (1,100ft), 670m (2,200ft), or 915m (3,000ft). Custom lengths and 600m (2,000ft) depth rated vehicles are available.

Customized SEAMOR ROV

As a global distributor of economical, portable, underwater ROV’s, SEAMOR inspection systems are being used in a wide range of applications:

Aquaculture

SEAMOR Marine ROVs are a popular choice for the aquaculture industry.

Undertaking routine activities such as:

  • Net inspections
  • Regulatory compliance work
  • Mort recovery
  • Inspection of cages, docks, pipes, cables, and moorings
  • Recovery of expensive lost equipment
  • Surveying & sampling of sea beds

All of these tasks, and more, can be easily completed without the use of a commercial dive team, significantly lowering costs.

Environmental specialists the world over who serve the growing aquaculture industry, are turning to the use of remotely operated vehicles to enhance their report capability. Our line of ROVs can assist in this work doing high-resolution photographic surveys and other ocean bottom deployments.

Clients use ROVs to descend to depths to perform tasks that include digital image capture needed for post-survey reports or a narrated DVD an environmental specialists might provide for their clients.

The SEAMOR ROV has a depth rating of 600m (2,000 ft.) and can be remotely operated using standard umbilical lengths up to 950m (3,000 ft.). Custom built, modular ROVs from SEAMOR can fly to depths of 600m (2,000 ft.) depending on customer needs.

In an industry where early detection of seabed pollution, fish disease or pen leaks is imperative, an ROV can provide a vital service with an accurate underwater look at the problems in time to find a solution.

Hydro Dams

Ensuring a secure supply for millions of power users is very much on the minds of hydro electric companies throughout the world.

Ensuring a secure supply for millions of power users is very much on the minds of hydro electric companies throughout the world. In fact, the reliability of the utility system is the highest priority as power outages are inconvenient and costly.

Some Hydro companies in North America are using SEAMOR ROVs to inspect structures, culverts, pipelines and other underwater spaces to ensure system integrity. They have chosen SEAMOR ROV units because of our industry proven capability to perform routine underwater inspections and/or tooling tasks needed to keep power supplies secure. With the world’s reliance on secure electricity and gas supply, a growing number of hydro companies have opted for SEAMOR ROVs because our units are reasonably priced, lightweight, easily deployed and above all, reliable for a wide range of applications that need eyes underwater providing a live feed and a high quality video record.

Client Testimonial

Please share with your co-workers that we have been really happy with the SEAMOR 300F we purchased this spring.  We have conducted several inspections of varied underwater structures and have been impressed with the detail we’ve been able to see.  The learning curve for operating the ROV has been very attainable, even with minimal previous experience.

Chris Fulton, P. Eng., BC Hydro

Port Security

Port security is serious business these days and SEAMOR ROVs are playing an increasingly vital role.

For example, port and harbour authorities prefer to use an ROV for ship hull scans and other marine security work rather than putting a diver at risk through ocean pressures or foreign objects in the water.
Ports deploy SEAMOR ROVs to search for suspicious objects, do perform hull or dock piling inspections, and other marine survey work. Our customers appreciate the ease of deployment and extended dives our highly-versatile ROVs allow. Once the target object is found, a diver can be guided right to it with minimal time in the water and far less risk.

SEAMOR ROVs can be equipped with a gripper and can retrieve items up to about five kilograms. Many are equipped with sonar and a positioning system, plus front and rear video cameras to give an accurate and precise look at the ocean bottom in all water conditions.

CASE STUDY: Nanaimo Port Authority

Marine Research

Marine researchers the world over regularly employ ROVs in their scientific work to help them gain a greater understanding of such things as sea life, ocean currents and, to explore reefs, sea bottoms and underwater archaeological sites.

The quick deployment and proven versatility of SEAMOR ROVs frees researchers to concentrate more on actual research tasks rather than their piloting skills. Using ROVs allows exploration to depths beyond normal diving capability (as deep as 600 metres) and extended periods.

SEAMOR ROVs are helping scientists in a wide variety of fields including university and government department research projects such as underwater surveys, coral reef studies, marine habitat projects, and even exploring underwater shipwrecks with an eye on future preservation. The scientists appreciate the simple to use equipment, its high quality video images, maneuverability, coupled with a relatively low cost which, allows them to keep within strict research budgets.

CASE STUDY: NASA PLRP

Nuclear

As the nuclear industry expands around the world providing an alternative source for global power needs, keeping the sites running, contamination free and well maintained, has produced an array of nuclear inspection demands and the specialists to meet the challenge.

Nuclear power plants have high water requirements meaning lots of cooling and storage tanks fed by pipelines. These need to be inspected on a regular basis for signs of wear and leakage. The specialists doing this work will use an ROV because of its compactness, precise cameras, reliability, underwater versatility, and ease of set up.

Visual testing, eddy current testing, and ultrasonic testing of core internals inside the nuclear reactor are an important part of confirming the integrity of key components. Using an ROV for this work can speed up inspection times and help ensure nuclear plant reliability, particularly where divers cannot be used because of radiation concerns.

SEAMOR Marine has a variety of ROV models suited to the work where visual inspection is paramount and conditions are often difficult for manual inspection. Our ROVs are used widely in comparable work in pipeline and water tank inspections – anywhere that ROVs can help inspection companies meet the demanding safety regulations and ensure that performance related equipment operates at maximum efficiency.

Pipe Inspection

Underwater pipeline inspection is being greatly assisted by SEAMOR ROVs around the world.

Companies involved in non destructive testing and asset integrity management, for example, have discovered after widespread ROV use that they’re well-suited for a wide variety of tasks. To make an even stronger case for their use, SEAMOR ROVs are reasonably priced, easy to use, and highly versatile.

Clients traditionally use ROVs to perform steel storage vessel inspection, corrosion measurements of subsea pipelines, and similar work on support pilings. SEAMOR ROVs, for example, can have custom installed leak detectors, which can give operators advance warning of a problem, possibly preventing costly repairs. And sonar allows for operation in murky waters not possible through front and rear video cameras alone.

ROVs have been used around the world to locate and identify piping on the sea bottom. In Canada, and a number of other countries, ROVs have been used by for the inspection and maintenance of sea walls and river dams thanks to their accurate video imaging capabilities.

Potable Water

Clean drinking water is essential for life and that means wells, reservoirs and storage tanks must be well maintained and regularly inspected.

SEAMOR ROVs are involved in the potable water industry throughout the world performing a vital role and can stay submerged for hours or days until the job is done. Depending on client needs, the ROVs can be coupled with added robotic inspection services because of health and safety concerns, or when customers cannot take the water tank or reservoir out of service for human inspection.

In fact, the days of diving and emptying tanks to clean them is now being challenged by increasing ROV tank inspection and the use of cleaning machines. Authorized technicians perform the cleaning and inspection from a trailer using a joystick and video equipment, making for a safer, more cost effective project.

Using a Seamor ROV, the goal is to inspect the entire reservoir or tank and document all surfaces for the owner’s review, along with a written report using the ROV’s analysis. The process removes 98% of unwanted debris and is easier and quicker than manual cleaning.

Search & Recovery

The study of evidence or the gathering of it can be greatly assisted by the use of a remotely operated vehicle.

Whether it’s locating a sunken vehicle or searching for a weapon tossed in a river, SEAMOR ROVs can help law enforcement agencies and others with their capability of descending to 600 metres (2,000 feet), plus high-quality front and rear cameras and even the option of sonar to help operation in murky waters.

SEAMOR ROVs have also been successfully used in search and recovery ventures involving lost float planes or vessels.

As well, forensic specialists use ROVs for search and recovery of drowning and accident victims. Using side scan sonar and ROVs eliminates or minimizes diver risk and the thorough and detailed searches help grieving families and friends to quickly find closure. ROVs are also used for video inspection and side scan sonar surveys for dams, reservoirs, water intakes, outfalls and hydrographic data collection.

SEAMOR ROVs are proving their value to help solve crimes, assist in search and rescue operations, and provide forensic evidence, sometimes from depths that would be difficult and dangerous for divers to descend to because of water pressure.

CASE STUDY: Legacy Water Search & Recovery Society

Recreation

Imagine the fun you could have with your own remotely operated vehicle to explore undersea life from your own launch or yacht.

That’s not as far-fetched as some may think as some recreational sailors are now using ROVs, including models from the SEAMOR line, to explore such things as undersea wrecks and fish life. The lightweight ROVs are highly maneuverable and their high-quality, front and rear video cameras capture the undersea world in a way that divers only knew, but now with far safer operation.

Easy to operate – even a child familiar with video games will soon get the hang of it – and economical, SEAMOR ROVs are finding more and more uses every day.

Some sports yacht manufacturers are now offering ROVs as custom options on their vessels. As well as the pleasure uses such as exploring favourite fishing holes, the ROVs can also help with hull and prop inspections and even determine anchoring conditions.

Film & Documentary

Recent advances in video technology have led to the broader availability of OEM High Definition video cameras. As a result, SEAMOR Marine is now able to offer HD video camera upgrades and auxiliary LED lighting for its line of SEAMOR ROVs.

These new developments serve to open new opportunities for film and documentary makers to take advantage of the benefits of using an ROV to film the wonders of the subsea world in crisp, clear, high-definition colour. Primary amongst those benefits are an ROV that can dive to great depths (as deep as 2000ft./610m.) and stay submerged for long periods of time with the camera rolling, while waiting for that all important “once in a lifetime” scenario to unfold.

For more information on what SEAMOR can offer to fill your specific need, please contact our head office or your local distributor directly. Fly a SEAMOR ROV and understand why SEAMOR is putting your expectations into our ROVs.