NATO assets used in survey of sunken Russian submarine

ROVs are not just used in commercial applications. As we will learn in the article below they are used in military applications.

NATO assets used in survey of sunken Russian submarine

20 July 2007 – NATO Research Vessel ALLIANCE was recently engaged in a task to survey the wreck of a sunken nuclear submarine, 21 June to 7 July. This was part of an international effort led by the UK Ministry of Defence’s (MOD) Defence Equipment and Support Salvage and Marine Operations Team (SALMO) at the specific request of the Russian Federation (RF). The UK MOD requested the use of NRV ALLIANCE, managed by NURC, a NATO research centre in Italy, due to the unique capabilities of the ship to perform oceanographic research and surveying. NRV ALLIANCE was used, in this operation, as the host ship for the NATO Submarine Rescue System (NSRS) Intervention Remotely Operated Vehicle (IROV), owned jointly by the UK, France and Norway.

The decommissioned Russian submarine, B-159, was being towed to a breakers yard in 2003 when it broke loose and sank in rough weather in the Barents Sea at the entrance of the Murmansk River, resulting in the loss of nine Russian sailors. Two nuclear reactors were onboard the submarine when it sank, although the reactors were shut down and in a safe state. This survey was the first stage of a recovery effort and was carried out through the Arctic Military Environment Co-operation (AMEC), with the UK and Russia as active members and Norway and the US as observing members.

Upon arrival at the wreck site under the escort of a RF naval vessel, the survey team was officially welcomed by Vice Admiral Maksimov, Deputy Commander in Chief of the Northern Fleet. The location and position of the submarine was quickly found using sensors on NRV ALLIANCE. Environmental sampling was conducted by sonar surveyors from St. Andrews University, while the IROV removed debris from the vicinity of the wreck. This was the IROV’s first operational deployment, and the vehicle stood up to the challenge. With the IROV pilots working 24/7 over the wreck site, a considerable amount of seabed work was completed. Radiation monitoring indicated no radiation hazard from the submarine.

A highlight of the operation was the recovery of a small Russian ROV that had become entangled in the wreck a few years ago, as well as the RF naval flag that had been flying on the B159 when she sank. The ROV was returned to the surface and presented back to Admiral Maksimov, along with the flag.

The operation was a great success, meeting all its objectives: SALMO was particularly pleased with the performance and capability of NRV ALLIANCE. In addition, it was noteworthy to see the NATO flag flying alongside that of the Russian Federation, with international teams working collaboratively on such a worthwhile project. Prior to its departure from the area of operations, NRV ALLIANCE participated in a wreath laying ceremony with the RF Navy Destroyer ADMIRAL LEVCHENKO.

Credits: Photos courtesy of the UK MOD

Weather Story

Saturday (September 15, 2007) evening at approximately 7:00 p.m. a weather cell confirmed to be a tornado ripped through the Palo Verde, California region and heavy damage occurred. It is anticipated that the total damage will exceed $10,000,000.00. Palo Verde, California is located at the northeast corner of Imperial County, just within the county limit that is shared with Riverside County.

The initial site survey reports conducted by the Imperial County Planning Department estimated that 80% of the community’s structures incurred major damage. 13 Condemnation notices have already been posted and it is estimated that 30% of the structures will be condemned once the damage assessment surveys are completed. The water has been deemed safe to drink, and shelters have been established at the Colorado Fairgrounds in Palo Verde. It is estimated that power will not be fully restored for a few days. Responders to the scene included but were not limited to; Imperial County Sheriff Ray Lorea, Imperial County Supervisor Wally Leimgruber, ICFD Battalion Chief Tony Rohoutas, Fire Chief Bill Zimmerman, Imperial Valley Red Cross Volunteers Ramon Barron & Roland Pritchard.

Imperial County CEO Roberta Burns has been working with the Governors Office to have this emergency classified a State Disaster. Imperial County Supervisor Joe Maruca signed the Imperial County Disaster Proclamation at 3:45pm today. This weather cell also downed eight Power Lines in the City of Calexico and two in Holtville, power was restored this afternoon to all of Calexico and Holtville. Note: Palo Verde has a population of 279 people with 225 Residential structures mostly mobile homes.

Damage level: Heavy

Update Typhoon NARI

SOUTH KOREA: Typhoon kills at least one, strands 15,000 in South Korea

A powerful typhoon killed at least one person in South Korea on Sunday, grounded 280 flights and stranded 15,000 passengers on its southern resort island of Jeju, officials said. The anti-disaster agency reported one dead and two missing on Jeju. South Korea's Yonhap news agency put the total typhoon death toll at six -- on Jeju and elsewhere.The agency said Typhoon Nari, expected to hit the mainland late Sunday, moved faster than the country's weather office had expected, flooding scores of houses and leaving more than 100 people homeless. The powerful storm also cut power to some 150,000 homes on Jeju and parts of southwestern South Jolla province for hours.

RS

Remote Operated Vehicles II -Weather Story and Maritime Note

Remote Operated Vehicles (ROVs) have had a great impact on the maritime community. Lets take a look a another type of ROV.

Jason/Medea(ROV)

Jason/Medea is a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) system designed by the Woods Hole oceanographic Institution’s Deep Submergence Laboratory for scientific investigation of the deep ocean and seafloor. It is a two-body ROV system, with Medea serving in a tether management role that decouples Jason from surface motion.

Together they offer wide area survey capabilities with Jason as a precision multi-sensory imaging and sampling platform. Both Medea and Jason are designed to operate to a maximum depth of 6,500 meters (21,385 feet), are transportable, and can be operated from a variety of vessels.

Medea, shown on deck, serves as a buffer between Jason and the ship. Image courtesy of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.

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Jason is connected to Medea by a neutrally buoyant tether that is 0.84" in diameter and approximately 35 meters long. Like the tow cable, it also uses three copper conductors and three single-mode optical fibers, but uses Spectra fibers to provide strength while reducing size and weight. The tether has a breaking strength of 41,000 lb. Medea weighs 1200 pounds in air and is maneuvered by controlling the surface ship’s position within a dynamic positioning reference frame.

Movements of the support ship maneuver Medea utilizing dynamic positioning. Jason is propelled by six DC brushless electric thrusters that provide about 600 pounds thrust in the vertical, longitudinal and lateral directions. The vehicle has excellent passive stability in pitch and roll. Jason is designed for detailed survey and sampling tasks that require a high degree of maneuverability. It weighs about 8,000 pounds in air but is neutrally buoyant at depth. Jason’s closed loop controlled dynamic positioning abilities make it a very maneuverable and stable platform.

Both Medea and Jason have been designed to be superior real time optical imaging platforms with high quality cameras and lighting. The vehicles work together to provide lighting for each other in a fashion not commonly available in other submersible systems. Medea is configured with a silicon intensified target (SIT) black & white camera for terrain identification and visual location of Jason when both are operating.

Jason's sample tray. Click image for larger view and image credit.

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Jason's sample tray can be configured in a variety of arrangements to accomplish the Scientist's objectives. Typically, Jason will carry water samplers, push cores to collect seafloor cores (mud!), a "slurp" pump to collect critters, a temperature probe to record the ultra hot temps of water coming out of the hydrothermal vents. Many researchers wish to collect rocks which Jason collects with its manipulators. Up to 310 lbs of samples can be stored on Jason's tray and brought back to the surface.

Once Jason is in the water, it takes 3 people to operate it - a Pilot who "flies" the ROV, an Engineer who monitors all the systems (electrical, mechanical, hydraulic, etc) and operates the winch which pays out / hauls in the fiber optic cable which is attached to Medea and a Navigator who positions the research vessel so that Medea and Jason can operate in the desired area. Because the vehicles are capable of operating 24 hours per day, 3 shifts of people are required to run it. Therefore, 9 people go to sea with Jason - plus a 10th person who is responsible for organizing all the data which is collected! The first Jason ROV began its career in 1988 and retired in 2001. During that time, Jason made 253 dives with 4683 hours on the bottom! The longest dive the first Jason made lasted 117 hours. The new ROV Jason has been in operation since 2002. So far, 183 dives have been made with 3249 hours on the bottom.

The Web team gratefully acknowledges this contribution by Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA.

Weather Story

The Latest on Ingrid...

Tropical Depression INGRID (click for details) As of 11:00 PM AST Sep 16 Advisory #19 Maximum Sustained Winds: 25 knots; 30 mph Minimum Central Pressure: 1010 mb Located at: 17.4N 59.4W Movement: west at 8 knots; 9 mph

000
ABNT20 KNHC 170230
TWOAT
TROPICAL WEATHER OUTLOOK
NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL
1030 PM EDT SUN SEP 16 2007

FOR THE NORTH ATLANTIC...CARIBBEAN SEA AND THE GULF OF MEXICO...

THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER IS ISSUING ADVISORIES ON TROPICAL
DEPRESSION INGRID...CENTERED ABOUT 160 MILES EAST OF THE LEEWARD
ISLANDS.

1. SHOWER ACTIVITY HAS DECREASED THIS EVENING OVER THE CENTRAL
CARIBBEAN SEA IN ASSOCIATION WITH A TROPICAL WAVE AND AN UPPER-LEVEL
TROUGH.  UPPER-LEVEL WINDS ARE CURRENTLY UNFAVORABLE FOR
DEVELOPMENT OF THIS SYSTEM...BUT THEY COULD BECOME A LITTLE MORE
FAVORABLE FOR SLOW DEVELOPMENT OVER THE WESTERN CARIBBEAN IN A
COUPLE OF DAYS AS THE SYSTEM MOVES WESTWARD AT 10 TO 15 MPH.

2. A TROPICAL WAVE LOCATED ABOUT HALFWAY BETWEEN AFRICA AND THE LESSER
ANTILLES IS PRODUCING A LARGE BUT DISORGANIZED AREA OF CLOUDINESS
AND THUNDERSTORMS.  DEVELOPMENT OF THIS SYSTEM...IF ANY...IS
EXPECTED TO BE SLOW TO OCCUR IT MOVES WESTWARD AT 10 TO 15 MPH.

ELSEWHERE...TROPICAL CYCLONE FORMATION IS NOT EXPECTED DURING THE
NEXT 48 HOURS.

$

FORECASTER KNABB

 Update on Typhoon NARI

Summary

At the last observation, on 2007/09/16 12:00 UTC, tropical cyclone NARI is a Tropical Storm with maximum sustained wind speeds of 30 m/s (111 km/h, 60 knots). Within 100km of its eye there are 5.6 million people. Within 200km there are 22.3 million people.

The storm is affecting the provinces Cholla-bukto in South Korea (less than 1000 people), Cholla-namdo in South Korea (less than 1000 people), Ch'ungch'ong-namdo in South Korea (2 million people), Kyongsang-bukto in South Korea (2.8 million people), Kyongsang-namdo in South Korea (3.6 million people), Kwangju-jikhalsi in South Korea (1.1 million people). The closest 6 cities are Suncheon, Samcheongpo, Yeosu, Jeonju, Gimje, Jinju.

New Typhoon - Typhoon 13W (Wipha)

Update on the F/V Papa George

We have spoken to the United States Coast Guard Marine Causality Investigations Division Portland. Unfortunately the make and model number of the EPIRB in question was lost with the vessel. Though the EPIRB was inspected and certified for some reason when the vessel went down the EPIRB did not release. The f/v Papa George sank in deep water and there is no contemplation of salvage currently.

We are continuing to seek information about the EPIRB through other sources.

Maritime Note:

New Flame to be split in two as part of the salvage operation

The New Flame off the southern most point of Gibraltar - Photo EFE

The boat remains half sunken off Europa Point after colliding with a tanker on August 12 The Gibraltar First Minister, Peter Caruana, announced on Friday that the 'New Flame' cargo ship, which suffered a collision near the rock on August 12, will be broken into two sections once all the fuel it contains has been removed.

After the separating he said that stern would remain afloat, and could be towed to a safer location in the bay. Then the 27,000 tons of scrap metal it contains would be removed. The bow of the boat is at a depth of 23 metres underwater and will be salvaged in sections.

He said work to salvage the vessel would start in three weeks and take four to six months to complete, depending on the weather, and that there was no risk of pollution in this second phase of the operation.

So far the Greek salvage company, Tsavliris, have removed 780 tons of fuel from the ship’s tanks.

Caruana thanked the Spanish Government and the European Agency for their offers of help, but noted Gibraltar had taken less time than Spain to remove the fuel from the vessel, when compared to the 'Sierra Nava' case.


Have a great week!

RS

Remote Operated Vehicles

Let's take a look at some technology that is critical to both the oceanography and salvage fields. They are known as Remote Operated Vehicles (ROVs).

Remotely operated underwater vehicles (ROVs) are unoccupied, highly maneuverable underwater robots operated by a person aboard a surface vessel.

They are linked to the ship by a group of cables that carry electrical signals back and forth between the operator and the vehicle. Most are equipped with at least a video camera and lights. Additional equipment is commonly added to expand the vehicle’s capabilities. These may include a still camera, a manipulator or cutting arm, water samplers, and instruments that measure water clarity, light penetration, and temperature. First developed for industrial purposes, such as internal and external inspections of pipelines and the structural testing of offshore platforms, ROVs are now used for many applications, many of them scientific. They have proven extremely valuable in ocean exploration, and are also used for educational programs at aquaria and to link to scientific expeditions live via the internet.

Deployment and Maneuverability

ROVs range in size from that of a bread box to a small truck. Deployment and recovery operations range from simply dropping the ROV over the side of a small boat to complex deck operations involving large winches for lifting and A-frames to swing the ROV back onto the deck. Some even have “garages” that are lowered to the bottom. The cabled ROV then leaves the garage to explore, returning when the mission is completed. In most cases, however, ROV operations are simpler and safer to conduct than any type of occupied-submersible or diving operation.

Lights and video cameras equip ROVs, enabling the operator to record imagery below the ocean surface. The S2 Phantom ROV, shown here, can move horizontally, vertically and laterally. Click image for larger view.

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The disadvantages of using an ROV include the fact that the human presence is lost, making visual surveys and evaluations more difficult, and the lack of freedom from the surface due to the ROV’s cabled connection to the ship. The S2 Phantom ROV highlighted here has been rated to an operating depth of 2,400 ft. The vehicle has four thrusters that each provide one-half horsepower of thrust for horizontal, lateral, or vertical movement. Two of the thrusters are mounted horizontally. They allow the vehicle to move forward and backward, and to turn left and right. The other two thrusters are mounted at an angle, slanted in opposite directions. They provide vertical thrust (when both spin in the same direction) and lateral thrust (when they spin in opposing directions, one pushing water up, the other pushing it down).

An ROV operator controls the vehicle from a system on board the ship. Using a joystick, a camera control, and a video monitor, the operator moves the vehicle and the camera to desired locations; the operator’s eyes essentially “become” the camera lens. The vehicle’s depth, heading, and geographic position (latitude and longitude) are also recorded.

Multiple Uses

ROVs are often kept aboard vessels mounting submersible operations for several reasons; the first is safety. In the event that a submersible becomes entangled or otherwise incapacitated, an ROV can investigate the scene to help the operators decide how to respond. If appropriate, cutter blades can be attached to the manipulator arm and used to free the sub. If a sub loses power and cannot surface, the ROV’s manipulator arm can grab onto the sub. The deck crew can then bring the sub to the surface.

ROVs also support exploration and science objectives. When the submersible cannot be used because of weather or maintenance problems, the ROV often can take its place. It can also be used to investigate questionable dive sites before a sub is deployed, limiting risk to the expensive subs and their pilots.

Lets take a look at a salavge application.

The Wreck of the Bow Mariner

Information about the tragic explosion and sinking of the Bow Mariner

Feb. 28, 2004

click on photos to see the full size image	photos courtesy of NOAA

click to enlarge Bow Mariner's sister ship-Bow Petros photo courtesy of Dennis Shum

On Saturday, February 28, 2004 the Bow Mariner, a 570 foot tanker was southbound off the coast of Virginia when it caught fire, exploded and sank. The tanker was carrying 3.5 million gallons of ethanol, 48,000 gallons of stored diesel fuel and 193,000 gallons of fuel oil. The vessel was roughly 50 miles east of Chincoteague, Virginia in about 240 feet of water when it sank. Water temperature was around 44 degrees at the time.

A scallop boat Captain described the disaster:

"I was 30 miles north of the Bow Mariner when she blew. I heard the MayDay(s) and about 20 seconds later all the other trawler skippers say "Look at that! The flames are several hundred feet." then the explosion and the flames were several thousand feet." Another scalloper described it this way..."The sun was setting in the west and from the flames on the Bow Mariner it looked like another sun was rising in the east."

Six survivors and 3 bodies were initially recovered from the water. The Coast Guard suspended the search for the 18 missing crewmembers from the Bow Mariner at 1 p.m. March 1, 2004. The search had involved more than 80 Coast Guardsmen, including crews from Station Chincoteague, Va., Air Station Atlantic City, N.J., and Elizabeth City, N.C., the 87-foot patrol boats Shearwater and Albacore from Hampton Roads, Va., and six command centers. Crews conducted 30 separate search patterns expending more than 3,500 man hours and covering an area of approximately 70 square miles.

Reports from the various government agencies as well as local witnesses described the ethanol to be dissipated and the oil slick to be about 9 miles in length off the coast within days. Favorable weather helped disburse the oil and carry it offshore. The Marine Spill Response Corporation (MSRC) oil recovery vessel Virginia Responder was dispatched on the scene and recovered approximately 25,000 gallons of an oily water mix about 18 miles from where the vessel sank.

The USCG cooperated with NOAA on the disaster and the NOAA Ship Rude was brought in to survey the wreck with side scan sonar technology. In addition SMIT Salvage was contracted to explore the wreck further and possibly extract chemicals from the vessel.


The ROV (ROLS)
FRAMO Remote Offloading System

Salvage work began in the case of the tanker BOW MARINER, on Feb.28 after experiencing several explosions and fire. Six crewmen survived, 3 bodies have been recovered and 18 are missing.

The salvage team deployed a Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) and specialized divers to locate the missing crewmembers of this tragic accident. The salvor's second task was to remove the bunker oil from the tanker that lies in the Atlantic Ocean at a depth of approximately 264 feet.

Heavy weather has hampered ROV operations to locate the missing seamen as well as survey operations to determine whether recoverable quantities of its cargo of ethanol or bunker fuel remain in the vessel. The salvage team used a unique pollution recovery system, the FRAMO Remote offloading System (ROLS) that has been designed to remove oil and chemicals from vessels lying on the seabed in very deep water without the assistance of divers.

This ROV reverse screws itself in the side of the ship board tanks and drills a 3/8" dia hole, inserts its impeller into the ships tanks and then begins to pump the bunkers to a waiting ship or barge on the surface.

Next we will take a look at other specific ROVs and there missions.

Maritime Notes:

Other marine casualities due to storms. from Cargolaw

90-m 3,183-gt Cyrpus-flagged cargo M/V Storoe (IMO 9321530) lost several hundred logs in the North Sea off Juist in rough seas on Sept. 9. Warnings for navigational hazards have been issued. From our Sr. Correspondent Tim Schwabedissen (Wed. Sept. 12 2007)

Spanish F/V Nueva Pepita Aurora, with 16 men aboard, sank amidst strong winds in the waters off the town of Tarifa, southern coast of Spain, on Sept. 5. Three people reported dead and five others missing. (Thurs. Sept. 6 2007).

Weather Story: UPDATE 13.08.2007

HURRICANE HUMBERTO woke up the Southern Texas Coast!

Sept. 13 (Bloomberg) -- Humberto, the third hurricane of the Atlantic season, slammed into eastern Texas early today with winds of 85 miles (135 kilometers) an hour.

Humberto hit the Texas coast east of High Island at about 2 a.m. local time, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said on its Web site. At 7 a.m., Humberto was about 25 miles west-northwest of Lake Charles, Louisiana, on the Texas-Louisiana state line, heading northeast at 12 mph. Sustained winds weakened to 80 mph.

The system grew to a hurricane less than 24 hours after developing into a tropical depression. It is expected to weaken to a tropical storm over land.

Forecasters are also monitoring a system about 930 miles east of the Lesser Antilles with sustained winds of about 35 mph. The depression in the Atlantic may develop into a tropical storm today, the center said in a separate advisory.

Humberto prompted the center to issue a hurricane warning from east of High Island to Cameron, Louisiana. The area includes three major oil refineries around Port Arthur and Beaumont in Texas. Texas Governor Rick Perry put National Guard forces, helicopters and vehicles on standby for search-and-rescue operations as Humberto intensified from a depression to a storm. A state of emergency was declared yesterday in Louisiana.

``Some areas of our state remain saturated by summer floods, and many communities in this storm's projected path are at high risk of dangerous flash flooding,'' Perry said on his Web site. ``We will work with local officials to provide the state resources necessary to ensure the safety of all Texas residents as this storm moves over.''

Plants in Area

The warning area for Humberto encompasses a Total SA plant producing 240,000 barrels of oil a day, Valero Energy Corp.'s 325,000 barrel-a-day facility and the 285,000 barrel-a-day Motiva Enterprises LLC plant. Motiva is a refining joint venture between Royal Dutch Shell Plc and Saudi Aramco.

Humberto's sustained winds of 85 mph made the system a Category 1 hurricane, the weakest on the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale. Hurricane-force winds extended 15 miles from the eye of the storm, and tropical storm-force winds of at least 39 mph reached out 60 miles.

The system was forecast to dump as much as 15 inches (38 centimeters) of rain on a track from southwestern to northeastern Louisiana, southeastern Arkansas and into central and northern Mississippi.

``Isolated tornadoes are possible in southeastern Texas and southwestern Louisiana through this afternoon,'' the hurricane center said.

To contact the reporter on this story: Alex Morales in London at amorales2@bloomberg.net .

Last Updated: September 13, 2007 08:22 EDT

RS