Offshore staff
LUXEMBOURG – Jan De Nul Group has ordered a hybrid Mariner unmanned surface vehicle (USV) from Maritime Robotics.
Named Beluga 01, this vessel will sail under the Luxembourg flag and be deployed for worldwide hydrographical and environmental surveys on marine and offshore construction projects.
The Beluga 01 is equipped with a fully redundant hybrid propulsion system. The prime source of propulsion is a diesel engine that is mechanically coupled to the water jet. Alternatively, the vessel can be operated in full electrical mode. The additional electrical Torqeedo propulsion, installed parallel to the main propulsion, can maneuver the vessel in sensitive marine areas, the company said.
There is also a range extender module to top up the batteries which will operate longer than 12 hours. This system has lower emissions than the main engine, which could also be used as an alternator for the batteries.
Also, the electrical propulsion acts as redundancy for the main engine in case of a failure, or vice versa.
According to Jan De Nul, the vessel can operate in up to sea state five, survive in up to sea state seven, and only needs 80 cm of water to operate in.
The company claimed it is the first dredging contractor to deploy an unmanned survey vehicle in marine and offshore conditions.
02/04/2022
