IKM Subsea orders Nauticus manipulator for all-electric ROV
Offshore staff
HOUSTON – IKM Subsea has selected the Nauticus Robotics (ex-Houston Mechatronics) Olympic Arm, a fully electric work-class manipulator, for its subsea resident ROV.
The Olympic Arm is said to increase subsea reliability and capability while extending residency dive time. It also boasts the strength, weight, and size characteristics of traditional work-class hydraulic arms without the chronic maintenance needs, the company claimed.
Adam Parsons, Olympic Arm product manager at Nauticus Robotics, said: “The shift from hydraulic to intelligent electric manipulators is an obvious and necessary next step in subsea operations technology. This change will provide operators greater confidence in more challenging and complex operations.”
Nauticus and IKM Subsea also plan to implement the Nauticus Software Suite, which can control the manipulator and open the door to more advanced and intelligent ROV automation.
Øystein Stjern, executive vice president at IKM Gruppen, said: “The Olympic Arm from Nauticus Robotics is completing IKM Subsea’s all-electric platform. It will aid us in reducing our environmental footprint while enabling the control of ROVs from shore with a reduced number of technicians offshore. Both will help increase our value proposition for our clients.”
Equinor, a customer of IKM Subsea, is eager to see how this partnership plays out as it assesses potential future opportunities to use Nauticus’ technologies.
Arne Rettedal, Equinor’s leading advisor of Subsea Intervention Systems, said: “Equinor is focusing on technology that can contribute to reduced costs. The Olympic Arm from Nauticus and the RROV from IKM Subsea are both great examples for this. The combination of the two, and the things this might lead to in the future, are obviously exciting to be a part of.”
On Dec. 16, 2021, Nauticus Robotics and CleanTech Acquisition Corp., a special purpose acquisition corporation, entered into a definitive business combination agreement that will result in the former becoming part of a public company.
01/31/2022
