Whether you’re investigating something in the deep sea or you need to know what is in a confined space, ROVs are the way to do it. These underwater remotely operated vehicles allow inspections of areas that are otherwise inaccessible to humans or costly to dive on. If you’ve found yourself in need of hiring an ROV, here are some tips to ensure that you get the most for your money.
Ensure They Have Proper Certifications
Before performing any underwater ROV inspections, operators must pass certification courses. These courses are to prepare them for the safe handling of the ROV. Depending on the environment that the ROV will be used, there are different certifications that operators must use. It’s a good idea to look at who is certified by the International Maritime Contractors Associations (IMCA) and the National Council For Occupational Education (NCOE).
Know Their Experience
It’s much better to hire a company that has experienced operators who have run inspections that are similar to yours. For example, if your inspection is to look at a small crevice in the ground, you want an ROV operator who has dealt with small crevice inspections. You don’t want an operator who spends most of their time operating ROVs in the open sea. They won’t have the same amount of skill and experience to identify potential issues and so forth as the operator who normally performs inspections in confined spaces.
Look For A Company With State-Of-The-Art Equipment
One of the biggest setbacks for any ROV inspection is not having adequate equipment. Just a simple upgrade of a better camera can allow you to see much more than a camera with fewer pixels. When you hire an ROV operator, it’s a good idea to find one that sports state-of-the-art equipment. When a company invests in the latest and greatest technology, they’re committed to performing the best service for their customers.
Have Your Depths Pre-Recorded
Before you can really have a conversation with an ROV company to hire them to explore an area of interest, you need to have an idea of the area’s features first. For example, if you want to explore a section of the ocean, you’ll need to know how deep the water is. Different ROVs work for different depths.
When dealing with water, the deeper you go under, the more pressure is applied to the vehicle. If the vehicle is not built to withstand the pressure, it will break. Therefore, it’s important that you do a scan and understand how deep the water is that you’re working in. In addition, when dealing with a crevice or confined space, you’ll need to understand the size of it. The company won’t know what ROV they can fit in the crevice until they know the specifications of it.
Establish A Long-Term Relationship
If you run a fleet of vessels, it’s highly likely that you’ll enlist the help of an ROV vessel inspection service. This is a unique use for ROVs, and you’ll want to hire a company that is familiar with vessel inspections. Don’t hire a company that focuses on mainly crevice ROV inspections when you’re trying to evaluate the underside of your ships.
When running a fleet of vessels, you’ll want to have access to ROV inspections whenever you need them. For new customers, inspections can take a few weeks to set up. This is an unnecessary time that will be wasted when you’re trying to get shipments completed. Instead, focus your efforts on creating long-term relationships with an ROV vessel inspection company. You’ll want to have them available at different ports where you can get quick assessments of the state of your vessel when something goes wrong.
Hiring an underwater ROV inspection agency can be a great way to explore crevices, underwater features, and the underside of your fleet vessels. Before you just pick up the phone and hire the first ROV company that you come across, there are some necessary steps that you’ll want to take first. You’ll want to ensure that the company that you hire has the experience in the task that you’re hiring them to do and that their operators maintain proper ROV certifications.
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Author’s Bio: Matt McGrath is an avid traveler and a prominent writer in the blogging community. He has been to more than 50 countries. While he loves discovering new cultures and adventures, he is also passionate about sharing practical tips to his followers. If you love to travel and adventure, we recommend that you read and follow all his articles! More about him on his website – http://mattmcgrath.me/