First Mobile Station Keeping Buoy for Earthquake Predictions
ASV engineers travelled to Tohoku University in Japan to hand over C-Stat 2, the first autonomous mobile station keeping buoy. Designed and developed by ASV, the buoy will be used by the university to help predict earthquakes off the Japanese coast.
The C-Stat uses an autonomous controller and station keeping system integrated with sister company, C&C Technologies C-NAV GPS system.
The C-Stat hull is made of aluminium with a PU-coated closed-cell foam fender and is powered by a hybrid diesel-electric drive system. An integral fuel tank provides an endurance of four and a half days in currents of up to 3.5 knots and over 20 days in lower speed currents such as 1.5-2 knots.
The vessel can be controlled by a UHF data link for line of site control or a satellite link for global control. The portable control console comes with a handheld controller for close quarters manoeuvring when launching and retrieving alongside a ship or harbour wall.
