In 2008, we achieved a new world-first with the delivery of the largest and most powerful free-flying jetting ROV, SMD UT-1.
Weighing 60 tonnes, this vehicle equates to 10 of our standard ROVs and is specially designed to excel in extreme underwater conditions.
Our Chief Engineer, Roger White, is here to explain how this game-changing vehicle came to life.
WHY WAS UT-1 CREATED?
UT-1 was created as a bespoke innovation for our longstanding client, DeepOcean. They sought a large-scale jetting vehicle that could trench to greater depths and handle increasingly large subsea cables and pipelines. To maximise operational efficiencies and enable high performance in all seasons, this vehicle was also required to work up to Sea State 7. UT-1 was purpose-built from the ground up to meet those exact needs.
HOW HAS THIS VEHICLE SHAPED FUTURE SMD INNOVATIONS?
UT-1 paved the way for several design principles we now use across our fleet. Its cursor handling system, for example, enabled safer and faster recovery in high sea states and now features on many of our vehicles. The modular, configurable design of UT-1 has also become central to how we design today, combining high-performance outputs with easy adaptability.
WHAT MAKES THIS VEHICLE A WORLD FIRST?
At 8 metres long, 8 metres wide, and 5 metres tall, UT-1 became the largest and most powerful free-flying jetting ROV in the world. When designing this vehicle, it was important to maximise its power-to-weight ratio. By utilising carbon fibre macrospheres and in-house designed steel sections, we reduced UT-1’s submerged weight to just 3 tonnes, delivering a combination of scale, mobility, and trenching performance that hadn’t been achieved before.
HOW DOES UT-1 DELIVER SUCH HIGH POWER OUTPUTS?
With 10 thrusters and 6 high-powered motors, UT-1 can deliver 2.1 megawatts of power. A central element of this vehicle is its versatility. In addition to the standard manoeuvrability of free-flying vehicles, UT-1 comes equipped with oscillating jetting swords to create a larger trench without the need for repositioning. Rated to 1,500m depths, it can create trenches up to 2.5m deep and 1.3m wide.
UT-1 is just one example of how we engineer bespoke subsea solutions to meet complex operational challenges. If you’re looking for a custom-built vehicle to elevate your offshore capabilities, contact our Key Account Manager, Adam Batsford, to explore what’s possible.
