More than ever before, our oceans are making the headlines every media channel and is at the forefront of our collective consciousness: exploration operations and seabed mapping for the oil & gas industry, the growth in fish farming and aquaculture, or the investment in research programmes to monitor the health of the seas and the lifeforms it sustains.
Subsea structure and pipeline inspection, hydrographic and oceanographic surveys, search and rescue, seabed mapping and environmental monitoring – without exception, and across a huge spectrum of maritime activity, the recent years have seen significant increases in the use of autonomous underwater vehicles (AUV), a technological trend which will only grow in the years ahead.
Advances in the design and on-board technologies of AUVs has seen these sleek sub-marine machines become highly manoeuvrable, with extended mission times possible thanks to battery and power unit advancements; they operate comfortably at impressive diving depths, with the advanced on-board instrumentation (and associated surface interfaces) returning incredibly accurate mapping information and data.
The market for these free-swimming, unmanned, underwater robots worth $4.3 billion by 2026 according to an exclusive report by MarketsandMarkets™ and, although factors including relatively slow underwater survey speed (owing to use of acoustic communication) can be a challenge, offshore oil & gas and renewable companies are making significant capital investment in AUV technologies.
It stands to reason then that companies should also reflect this investment with a commitment to the specialist training and ongoing competencies of their workforce.
Whilst these ‘smart’ machines can operate completely autonomous pre-determined missions or with real time input from pilots and technicians, these expensive pieces of hardware still need operators for the launch and recovery systems (LARS) and the ongoing maintenance and repair.
“It’s hard not to be astounded by the current generation of AUVs in use and their impact on the combined maritime research, survey and exploration industries is nothing short of game changing.” Comments Managing Director of MTCS (UK) Ltd, Richard Warburton.
“Of course, having these vehicles operational for the optimum amount of time is vital for organisations to recoup their investment as soon as possible and, no matter how autonomous the AUV is, the ‘people factor’ is something which will always play a key role in any mission.”
Since establishing in 2003, MTCS have worked extensively with companies and their personnel operating offshore ROVs, something of a close relative of modern AUVs and an area of maritime activity which share many similarities.
“Launch and recovery is the most immediate situation where having competent personnel who are undertaking their work correctly and efficiently is paramount – there can simply be no scope for error, either in terms of human safety or damage to the vehicle, vessel or equipment.”
MTCS Competence Certification for AUV Personnel
The independent and internationally recognised MTCS Individual Competence Assessment programme for personnel working in AUV-specific roles is, at present, designed to support four key grades:
- AUV Superintendent
- AUV Supervisor
- AUV Engineer
- AUV Technician
“We anticipate that, as the AUV sector grows, so we will expand our competence scheme to reflect additional grades.” Explains Richard.
“At present, we work with technicians who can operate, maintain, fault-find and repair AUV systems including their associated deployment or launch and recovery systems. Grades are also available for Engineer, Supervisor and Superintendent, the latter two who must be an expert for all technical matters relating to the operation and management of AUV systems. They must also be proficient in the coaching and assessment of their colleagues, a key requirement in the competence certification program.”
The MTCS Grade Assessment (GA) for ROV personnel is a digital programme available via the dedicated portal, MTCS Online. Candidates registering with the system gain immediate access to guidance and performance criteria documentation, along with assessment plans and feedback forms which, combined, make up an electronic record of evidence that can be submitted for assessment.
Experienced Personnel wishing to gain competence certification for their current job role may opt for the Individual Competence Assessment (ICA) assessment and verification process
“MTCS are a completely independent organisation, yet our competence certification is recognised internationally and industry-wide, with certification awarded being a formal demonstration of an individual’s capabilities and an accurate, insightful record of their workplace activities.” Concludes Richard.
“For anyone working in these key AUV roles, an MTCS Certificate of Competence is more than just another piece of paperwork: it is a tangible and unequivocal declaration that this person is not just trained, qualified or even proficient, but they undertake their role in accordance to industry-accepted methods and practices.”
Image credits: Asub_calanus.jpg StifynTonna, CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0), via Wikimedia Commons