Forum ROV to Support Arctic Research

Forum Energy Technologies has secured an order from Amundsen Science (Université Laval, Canada) to supply a light work-class remotely operated vehicle (ROV) to support its Arctic scientific research activities.

The vehicle will be installed on board the Canadian research icebreaker CCGS Amundsen and will support the exploration of Arctic and Sub-arctic seafloor eco-systems. Equipped with 85 scientific systems, the CCGS Amundsen gives Canadian researchers and their international collaborators unprecedented access to the Arctic Ocean.

Forum’s Sub-Atlantic Comanche ROV is equipped to a high specification with two seven-function manipulator arms for complex underwater procedures. It also has precision positioning and navigation systems, cameras, lighting and sonars for low visibility operations.

The new asset will replace the organization’s current Super Mohawk ROV, which was also supplied by Forum.

“The Comanche ROV will represent a pivotal equipment of the research icebreaker CCGS Amundsen. In 2020, it will be deployed at several locations spanning a latitudinal gradient from 58° to 77°N to study deep-water corals and cold seep eco-systems of the northern Labrador Sea and Baffin Bay. The project will generate critical knowledge of biodiversity and marine habitats needed for key ocean conservation initiatives in Canada”, said Dr. Alexandre Forest, Executive Director of Amundsen Science.

The new Comanche ROV will be manufactured at Forum’s facility at Kirkbymoorside, Yorkshire and delivered in the first quarter of this year.