New Wave Media

 

The C-Cat 3 is “unlike any other vessel on the market,” according to Vince Dobbin, ASV Global Sales and Marketing Director. “It is small enough to easily transport and mobilize but large enough to house a range of high accuracy payloads such as a multibeam sonar.”

 

ASV Global said the C-Cat 3 has been developed to complement its existing oceangoing vehicles for survey and support tasks where a smaller vehicle is better suited to missions. The design incorporates a large payload bay to enable payload flexibility.

 

The vessel has a modular, lightweight design for ease of transport and mobilization. Its shallow draft and payload capacity make C-Cat 3 suited shallow survey and marine science applications. C-Cat 3 is powered by two electric motors and can be controlled manually or to follow preprogrammed routes that can be updated at any point through a PC based GUI.

 

The C-Cat 3 includes the core functionality proven in all ASV Global vessels and systems, autonomous vessel supplier said. The ASView control system gives the operator the flexibility to execute basic remote control right up to fully autonomous operations.

 

“We are very excited to have our own autonomous vessel which will enable us to undertake autonomy research and development,” said Dr. Jon Downes from the University of Southampton’s Maritime Robotics Laboratory. “We have thoroughly enjoyed working with ASV – they worked closely with us to ensure the vessel fitted our requirements and have delivered a robust and reliable platform ideal for autonomy research and experimentation with payloads.”

 

Length: 3.02m

Beam: 1.55m

Draft: Min 0.39m, max dependent on payload ~0.7m

Weight: Lightship 270kg, fully loaded 340kg

Propulsion: 2 x DC electric motors driving 3 bladed propellers

Speed: Up to 7 knots

Payload Power: 12V or 24V

Control: ASView for direct, semi-autonomous or autonomous control

Communication: Radio/satellite