Fugro Subsea Services has launched a new Submarine Rescue Vehicle (SRV) simulator designed to enhance emergency response planning, crew training and live visualisation.

 

This simulator has been developed by the Aberdeen-based company's robotics technologies business using the established DeepWorks ROV support platform. It offers true subsea physics-based simulation in a user-friendly package that can be run on a desktop PC or integrated into a submarine rescue vehicle's hardware control console.

 

Fugro has been building SRV simulators for more than ten years and has previously supplied prototype trainers to several of the world’s navies.

 

Among the new simulator's key enhancements is the ability to navigate to the distressed submarine using both camera and sonar views. The system also emulates industry standard 5 and 7 function manipulators for intervention tasks such as clearing debris, opening and closing valves, and rigging installation.

 

Other activities that can be simulated to optimise operating procedures include: Crane lifting and recovery operations in variable sea conditions and tidal currents; trim and ballast control; failure modes and thruster modelling.

 

The original LR5K was the first system capable of 3D rescue operations simulation, and Fugro also pioneered "ray tracing" — a technique providing highly realistic sonar simulation for navigation training — along with altimeter-based ranging for hatch mating, and pod-posting. Models have been developed for a range of SRVs including the Perry Slingsby LR7, the OceanWorks Merlion 500, and the ADS 2000.