2016.06.02 – Start of the Equipment test cruise

The teams of the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) and Royal IHC are working hard at Bergen, Norway, to setup the Deep Sea Special Motor (DSSM) for tests in the seabed down to 500m. The multipurpose offshore vessel MPOV Olympic Taurus is our working platform. This 100m long vessel has plenty of deck area and a strong crane that can carry the 6 tons motor down to the seafloor and bring it back with results that will advance our understanding on the motors performance. The intense mobilization activities at the Olympic Taurus contrast with the city’s summer feeling as cruise liners with matching sizes surround us and our operations become a touristic attraction.

NTNUs Applied Underwater Robotics team (AUR-lab), leaded by Martin Ludvigsen, setup the observation remotely operated vehicle (ROV) and observe that safe procedures are followed up on board. Rian Rotteveel and Wiebe Boomsma from IHC are in charge of getting the massive subsea pump to operate as it should during the tests. The NTNU team Pedro De La Torre, Frode Volden, Tore Anthonsen, Magnus Halvorsen and Frederik Soreide, work towards getting the communications and power ready for the ROV to operate smoothly. The captain and the crew on-board facilitate the logistics related to operation the vessel and the kitchen team lead by Catherine provide us with delicacies for the stomach that cheer every body up on board.

By the third mobilization day both ROV and DSSM teams have faced challenges that required special attention. Power issues, safe installations, and mismatching electronic communication protocols are only some examples of those issues that have tested the capacity of our teams on board. These complications have been addressed one by one so that the operation as a whole can get a green light to leave the dock.