ROV Technicians Remotely Operated Vehicles
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KNOWLEDGE AND SKILL GUIDELINES FOR MARINE SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY VOLUME 3 ROV Technicians Remotely Operated Vehicles Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs) Drew Michel, ROV Technologies, Inc. CENTER Background and History The first step in understanding www.marinetech.org any technology is to understand why it exists. In the case of ROV technology, the reason is quite simple. There is no other practical, Courtesy Michel of the Drew Collection Contents safe, and economically feasible way to perform deep underwater Page 2: Introduction to Knowledge and work or “underwater interven- Skills Guidelines tion,” as it is called in the industry. Page 3: Knowledge and Skills Guidelines History tells us that humans for ROV Technicians have been working underwater for Page 4: ROV Technician Job Description several centuries, from gathering food to salvaging cannons. Early Personal Characteristics of an ROV Technician attempts to improve diving efficien- cies were recorded in the mid- Page 5: Salary Range sixteenth century, when the first Page 6: Tools and Equipment diving “helmet” was used. From Page 7: Basic Courses that early technology to the record Page 9: Job Titles 2,250-foot simulated dive made at This 1980 photo of a Diver handing a wrench to an RCV 150 while an RCV 225 observes is a Duke University in 1981, we have perfect illustration of the “passing of the baton” from man to machine. Page 10: Future Trends witnessed an incredible evolution Page 12: ROV Technician Career Profile in humankind’s ability to work to limited use in science and the further recognition by saving the Page 14: Diving Deeper – Educational underwater. Open water dives have tourist industry. pilots of the Pisces submersible Resources been made to nearly 2,000 feet Exactly who receives credit for with only minutes of air remaining Page 16: OceanCareers.com in depth, and commercial dives developing the first ROV will when it accidentally sunk off Cork, have reached 1,750 feet, but these probably remain unclear. How- Ireland in 1973. instances are very rare, involve ever, there are two milestones that The next step in advancing ROV high risk, and are not cost-effective. deserve recognition: the PUV technology was made by commercial For a short period, human- (Programmed Underwater Vehicle) firms that saw how ROVs could occupied vehicles (HOVs), form- was a torpedo developed by be used to support offshore oil ally called manned submersibles, Luppis-Whitehead Automobile operations. The transition from appeared to be the solution to in Austria in 1864; and the first military use to the commercial conquering the deep. Between tethered ROV, named POODLE, world was quite rapid. Companies the mid-1960s and mid-1970s it was developed by the Frenchman like ISE Ltd. (International looked like HOVs would allow Dimitri Rebikoff in 1953. Submarine Engineering Ltd.) in humans to work in deeper water The United States Navy, in its British Columbia, Canada; Perry for longer periods of time. How- quest to develop robots to recover Oceanographic in Riviera Beach, ever, HOVs required substantial underwater ordnance lost during Florida; and Hydro Products dedicated support vessels and still at-sea tests, is credited with advanc- and Ametek Strata in San Diego, put humans at risk underwater. ing the technology to an opera- California were quick to begin They were also slow to launch and tional state. ROVs gained fame in commercial activity based on work recover and had limited time on 1966, when the US Navy CURV done for the military. From that This project is supported, in part, by the the bottom, which reduced their (Cable Controlled Underwater very humble beginning, ROV National Science Foundation cost-effectiveness. The introduction Recovery Vehicle) system recovered technology and the industry of Opinions expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily of the Foundation. of commercial ROVs in the an atomic bomb lost off Spain in today have evolved. DUE/ATE 0085345 mid-1970s has relegated HOVs an aircraft accident. They gained (continued on page 11) Introduction to MATE’s Knowledge and Skill Guidelines The process of developing a competent marine work force that is the MATE Center can be found at: www.marinetech.org/ well prepared for employment requires collaborating with a wide marineworkforce, or printed copies can be requested from the range of people and organizations. One of the major tasks of the MATE Center. Marine Advanced Technology Education (MATE) Center is to A number of organizations have been instrumental in the identify and define marine technical occupations and the abilities development and validation of the ROV technician guidelines. that men and women need in order to perform well in these occu- We would like to thank the Deep Submersible Units Detachment pations. The major product that results from this work is a set of of the U.S. Navy’s Unmanned Vehicle Section; the Monterey occupational Knowledge and Skill Guidelines (KSGs) for technical Bay Aquarium Research Institute; Oceaneering International; marine occupations. These guidelines describe what workers need Sonsub International; Jim MacFarlane of MacFarlane Marine to know and be able to do in order to perform their jobs well and Services; and Drew Michel of ROV Technologies, Inc. and the they are different for each occupation. The KSGs developed by the Marine Technology Society ROV Committee Chair. MATE Center include those for marine technicians, remotely oper- —Deidre Sullivan, ated vehicle (ROV) technicians, hydrographic survey technicians, Curriculum and Industry Manager aquarists, and aquaculture technicians. All the KSGs developed by Co-Principal Investigator About the MATE Center MATE’s Strategy for Improving The Marine Advanced Technology Education (MATE) Center is a national partnership of Marine Technology Education organizations working to improve marine technical education and in this way help to prepare America’s future workforce for marine science and technology occupations. Headquartered at Monterey Peninsula College (MPC) in Monterey, California, the MATE Center has Outcomes Products been funded as a National Science Foundation (NSF) Advanced Technological Education (ATE) Center of Excellence since 1997. The MATE Center works with community colleges, 1. List of critical workforce high schools, universities, research institutions, marine industries, professional societies, Needs needs from industry and working professionals to facilitate the development of courses and programs based on Identification queries industry-established guidelines. In this way, the Center is working with industry to create ➡ an education system that meets the needs of employers and students, is flexible, and provides 2. Industry- and government- employers with direct access to students. The Center is also actively working to increase the Occupational awareness of marine-related careers and provide students, educators, workers, and employers recognized occupational Definitions categories with up-to-date information to assist them in making informed choices concerning their education and future. ➡ 3. Occupational Industry-identified The Importance of Marine Technology Knowledge knowledge and skills for and Skill specific occupations The ocean economy is large and diverse, accounting for twenty percent of our national Guidelines 1 economy and supporting one in six jobs in this country. Marine technology plays a vital role ➡ in supporting the ocean economy, from national security to transportation and commerce, 4. energy and exploration activities, telecommunications, recreation and tourism, fisheries and Skill Cluster Knowledge and skill aquaculture, search and recovery, environmental assessment and regulation, and research. Competencies grouped by subject area Although these economic sectors are diverse, the technology behind them has many similari- ties. These similarities include: the collection and use of data from remotely operated vehicles ➡ 5. and acoustic instruments; the use of advanced computing systems, such as GIS, for organizing Instructional Competency-based and managing data; and the use of electronics and microelectronics for power, controls, and Materials and assessments, modules, miniaturization in a remote, harsh environ- Services courses, faculty development ment. The need for highly qualified tech- workshops, and internships MATE Center nical professionals who can design, build, ➡ Monterey Peninsula College 6. operate, and maintain this technology has 980 Fremont Street, Monterey, CA 93940 Educational Ph (831) 645-1393 Fx (831) 646-3080 never been greater. A concerted effort is Programs Degree and certificate [email protected] www.marinetech.org required to ensure that our work force programs based on is prepared for an economy currently and instructional materials Knowledge and Skill Guidelines for 7. ➡ ROV Technicians increasingly dependent on ocean activities and the technologies that make these Career Managing Editor: Deidre Sullivan Management Copy Editors: Jenny Carless, Jill Zande activities feasible. Job placement programs, Programs professional development Contributing Writers: Tami Lunsford, Drew Michel, 1 Vice President Al Gore, Opening Address (From the courses Deidre Sullivan, Jill Zande Cross-Cutting Issues Plenary Session), National Ocean Conference, June 11-12 1998, Monterey, California. 2 Knowledge and Skill Guidelines for ROV Technicians Working as an ROV operator/technician writing, algebra and trigonometry, hydraulics, can be a challenging and exciting lifestyle.