Argeo, a leader in autonomous offshore survey solutions, has become the first commercial operator of Henriksen’s SOLUS launch and recovery system (LARS) for unmanned surface vehicles (USVs). This cutting-edge technology enables USVs to be recovered by the mother ship in challenging sea states, significantly expanding the operational window for uncrewed offshore surveys.
The Henriksen SOLUS launch and recovery system achieves this by enabling the 9-metre Argeo Argus USV to be brought alongside and reconnected to the mother ship’s lifting wire by means of its telescopic mast. During launching and remotely controlled work operations, the USV’s mast is kept retracted within its structure. At the end of its mission, it is brought alongside the mother ship, and its mast is raised remotely by the USV’s controller so it reveals its lifting and painter lines. Even if the USV is pitching and rolling, the mast is able to present the boat’s recovery lines to the mothership’s crew.
The personnel can then secure either of the lines with a threading boat hook. Once the connection has been made between the USV’s and the mothership’s painter line it becomes possible to quickly connect the crane’s fall wire to the lifting point on the USV and lift it on board the mother ship. In this case, the Argeo Argus has been fitted with the SOLUS system as an important step in enhancing the ability of the company to use unmanned and autonomous craft world-wide.
“We want to transform ocean surveying and inspection by utilising our autonomous surface and underwater robotics solution,” said Thorbjørn Rekdal, chief technology officer at Argeo. “The Argus USV is a multi-purpose uncrewed vehicle for offshore and coastal applications, offering a stable, low emission hybrid platform equipped with state-of-the-art navigation, supervision and hydrographic/geophysical technology. The ability to create a wider weather window for its operation is therefore seen as an important boost to towards achieving that aim with enhanced productivity.”
