The Role of ROVs in Port Security & Safety

Shannon Regan | November 26th, 2018

Deep Trekker ROVs offer an easy, fast and effective way to perform hull inspections, dock inspections and virtually any task that requires immediate eyes under the water to ensure port security and safety.

The Role of ROVs in Port Security and Safety

Port security threats remain high worldwide. Experts have identified a clear connection between crime and port security and an international agreement that certain crime and actions present danger to the maritime industry. ROVs are an enabling technology well suited for use by federal, state, local and private organizations that have inherited new requirements designed to improve the safety and security of ships, ports and harbours.

Factors in the Use of ROVs in Port Security

Most ROV customers are new to marine technology. They are interested in technology that is low cost, low weight, small size, and will require a minimum number of people to train an operate. Deep Trekker ROVs are affordable to federal, state and local maritime law enforcement entities. Its portability, reliability, and maneuverability make them attractive tools in the maritime security arsenal.

Initial hands-on training for ROVs can be as short as several hours. Typically ROVs can be operated by one or two persons and require minimal set-up. Unlike larger ROV counterparts, launch and recovery support of Deep Trekker ROVs is minimal. They can be deployed from a small boat or over the side of a pier. Often an initial capability will evolve and grow as users gain better understanding of their own requirements and where ROVs are most effective is in their operations.

Diving Operations

ROV operations and diving operations should be considered complementary in nature. Diving communities that are unfamiliar with the benefits and limitations of ROVs may see the industry as a threat to the diving community but many companies with experience in combined operations can attest to the benefits. In fact, ROVs can make a diver’s job more efficient and safe. ROVs can provide the first look at the diving environment and can warn divers in advance of adverse conditions such as contamination, excessive current, hazards to navigation, explosives, poisonous sea life, poor visibility etc.

ROV tethers can lead divers directly to a target and provide the diver a clear path back to the surface. The ability of the divers to follow a tether directly to the dive-site saves time and adds an extra margin of safety particularly in deep dives and dives under the ice. One of the distinct advantages to ROVs over divers is that they can perform for extended lengths of time and beyond the depth range of divers.

ROVs Inspecting Ship Hulls

Deep Trekker ROVs are used by both civilian and military communities for ship hull inspections. These inspections include the use of ROVs to search ship's running gear, ship's hulls, locate contraband hidden beneath the water, assist divers, penetrate small spaces, investigate pier pilings, bulkheads, and investigate mine-like objects.

Ship owners take advantage of the ROV’s easy-to-use system to regularly monitor their vessels’ anti-fouling paint or sacrificial anodes. Additionally, using the attachable thickness gauge, owners get a clear reading on the overall integrity of the hull.