Lockheed Martin Presents Marlin AUV
The Marlin AUV will be in the spotlight during Ocean Business for Lockheed Martin. The underwater vehicle is offering an efficient alternative to traditional subsea inspections, due to operational performance and post-inspection presentation of collected data.
A Marlin AUV completed the first commercial autonomous offshore platform and site inspections in August 2012 in the Gulf of Mexico. Hired by Chevron, the Marlin system successfully completed inspections of 11 fixed platforms, the surrounding seabed, and three partially decommissioned work sites undergoing the final stages of clearance activities.
Operating from a small utility class vessel, the 10-foot unmanned submersible logged more than 62 hours of submerged operations over the two-week survey period, covering 72 miles in waters up to 125 feet deep.
While at sea, the Marlin generated real-time, 3D, georeferenced models of platforms and the surrounding seabed, providing the operating company an accurate, full view of each scene. This output allowed the operating company to make accurate operating plans for an upcoming subsea recovery operation within days of deploying the salvage vessel.
