First commercial customer for SOLUS USV launch and recovery system
Argeo, based in Norway, has become the first commercial customer for the new Henriksen SOLUS launch and recovery system designed for uncrewed surface vehicles (USVs). Argeo uses a fleet of uncrewed and autonomous vehicles to deliver advanced offshore survey and inspection services. With the SOLUS system, an uncrewed USV can now be safely recovered by a mother ship even in challenging sea conditions, expanding operational flexibility and safety at sea.
The Henriksen SOLUS system achieves this by enabling the nine-metre Argeo Argus USV to be brought alongside and reconnected to the mother ship’s lifting wire by means of its telescopic mast. During launching and remotely controlled work operations, the USV’s mast is kept retracted within its structure. At the end of its mission, it is brought alongside the mother ship, and its mast is raised remotely by the USV’s controller so that it reveals its lifting and painter lines.
Even if the USV is pitching and rolling, the mast is able to present the boat’s recovery lines to the mother ship’s crew. The personnel can then secure either of the lines with a threading boat hook. Once the connection has been made between the USV’s and the mother ship’s painter line it becomes possible to quickly connect the crane’s fall wire to the lifting point on the USV and lift it on board the mother ship. In this case, the Argeo Argus has been fitted with the SOLUS system as an important step in enhancing the ability of the company to use uncrewed and autonomous craft worldwide.
Wider weather window
“We want to transform ocean surveying and inspection by utilizing our autonomous surface and underwater robotics solution,” said Thorbjørn Rekdal, chief technology officer at Argeo. “The Argus USV is a multi-purpose uncrewed vehicle for offshore and coastal applications, offering a stable, low-emission hybrid platform equipped with state-of-the-art navigation, supervision and hydrographic/geophysical technology. The ability to create a wider weather window for its operation is therefore seen as an important boost towards achieving that aim with enhanced productivity,” he said.
The SOLUS system was developed by Henriksen AS at its factory on the Oslo fjord, Norway. The company, known for its advanced lifting hooks for marine applications and its flawless safety record, has expanded its expertise into a dedicated launch and recovery division. The new SOLUS system joins a growing product portfolio that also includes launch and recovery systems for autonomous underwater vehicles and advanced mine sweeping solutions.
