OceanX unveils new research and exploration vessel

Photo: OceanX/Taj Howe
Photo: OceanX/Taj Howe
Published on

OceanX has unveiled its new scientific research, media production, and exploration vessel, OceanXplorer.

Formerly named Alucia 2, the vessel is intended to operate as a floating, integrated marine research platform and media production studio. It is equipped with scientific exploration vehicles, chemical, biological, and geophysical sampling tools, and an onboard media centre.

The vessel is a former petroleum support and survey ship that has been completely retrofitted at Damen Shiprepair in the Netherlands. Features include a 40-tonne man-rated A-frame crane strong enough to launch submersibles, towed sonar arrays, and other heavy equipment; a resident helicopter and climate-controlled hangar; dedicated deployment systems that will allow for independent launch and recovery of piloted and autonomous underwater drones; and oceanographic sensor platforms.

The ship also features two manned Triton submersibles, each of which can dive to depths greater than 1,000 metres for up to eight hours, and a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) and an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) that can explore depths up to 6,000 metres.

OceanXplorer's underwater optical modem allows never-before-seen livestreaming video and data from untethered submersibles in the depths of the ocean seafloor to social media feeds and classrooms in real-time; the custom lighting rigs and housings make the ship the only vessel in existence that can image using 8K resolution cameras 6,000 metres deep.

Related Stories

No stories found.
logo
Baird Maritime / Work Boat World
www.bairdmaritime.com