Submersible Mothership Signals New Era for Subsea Robotics for Offshore Wind

A new project funded by Innovate UK will see Aberdeen technology developer HonuWorx and the Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult partner to develop an exciting new submersible mothership designed to make robotics a sustainable and cost-effective solution for offshore wind farms.

“Ridley” is a submersible platform engineered to transport and deploy large ROVs, AUVs, and AIVs (or combinations of these unmanned systems) to offshore sites. The hope is that the project will act as a critical steppingstone to HonuWorx’ broader vision, their disruptive Loggerhead concept, which envisions the use of an autonomous mothership as a mobile power and communications hub for ROVs and AUVs.

OVERCOMING BARRIERS

ORE Catapult sees the concept as a means of overcoming some of the persistent barriers to the offshore wind industry’s adoption of subsea robotics—concerns associated with high operating costs, carbon footprint concerns, and unreliable battery life and digital connectivity.

Although ROVs are used to execute wind farm IMR, their reliance on crewed and carbon-heavy topside support means that they seldom achieve anything close to their optimal utilization. Conservative estimates suggest that, on average, a 21-day inspection campaign using a traditional vessel may cost up to $2 million and emit more than 500 tonnes of carbon dioxide.

The proposed alternative of transferring the ROVs in a lightweight, autonomous submersible seeks to alleviate some of these financial and environmental burdens. On arrival at a target site, the platform submerges and deploys the robots below the waterline, so also minimalizes the normal disruption and risk of operating in rough weather and high sea states.

ENABLING REMOTE OPERATIONS

A further transformative step will be the coupling of automation software for coordinating multiple platforms with communications technologies via satellite, 4G, and 5G networks (as best suits each at-sea location). HonuWorx’s Distributed Control Centres (DCC) will enable remote supervision from shore, while equipping the mothership with charging ports will also deliver a solution to the well-documented battery life restrictions that limit the use of ROVs on prolonged missions.

As the global offshore wind industry of tomorrow looks to capitalize the more abundant wind resources found in deeper, more remote waters, the role of intelligent robotics and automaton will prove instrumental to championing efficiency and safety. Ultimately, the successful remote operation of any offshore asset will hinge on the careful balance of cost reduction, safety improvements and a functional integration of new technologies.

Speaking exclusively to ON&T, Lee Wilson, HonuWorx CEO and Co-Founder, said: “We are on a mission to pioneer sustainable subsea technologies for offshore operations at scale, and that includes accelerating the adoption of increasingly intelligent robotics by developers operating in future-proof sectors like offshore renewables.”

Working with ORE Catapult on this project affords us exclusive insight to the sorts of issues that wind operators face and ultimately give us the opportunity to put into action the most appropriate technologies to remove them.”

For more information, visit: www.honu-x.com.

This story was originally featured in ON&T Magazine's October 2021 issue. Click here to read more.