SDO-SuRS organic and deployable mission suites
The SDO-SuRS is equipped with a state-of-the-art, organic or fixed underwater operations equipment complex designed and supplied by Drass and can carry alternatively one of the three mission packages on the stern working deck. The ship’s resident diving suite is based on the “100 Series” saturation equipment package provided by Drass. Designed to enable 12 GOS operators to conduct saturation dives up to 300 metres depth, it includes a diving bell for three divers with a moon pool launch and recovery system and control system, a double hyperbaric chamber for six operators each (12 operators in total) with a control centre and various equipment, as well as a gas storage system for the various activities (32 2.8 m³ cylinder containers at 200 bar).
The safety of personnel employed in diving operations is also ensured in the event of ship abandon by the crew, including the transfer of personnel from the hyperbaric chambers to the lifeboat, which is equipped with a dedicated 12-person plus 4 personnel capacity lifeboat. The Innovator 2.0 WROV provided by Saipem is used for operations up to a depth of 3,000 metres, along with its haulage and recovery system that pops up on the side of the vessel and the associated control system.
As the ship may be deployed in both shallow and deep-waters search operations, in the context of military, homeland or other agency’s operations, such as critical underwater infrastructures protection and wrecks surveillance and recovery of dangerous items, in addition to the organic equipment, the underwater mission package that can be carried in the stern ship area can also include another Innovator 2.0 WROV and Portable Launch and Recovery System (PLARS) by Saipem, an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV), an observation class ROV in addition to a Submarine Rescue Chamber (SRC-Mc-Cann) and the Atmospheric Diving System (ADS), the latter already in service with the GOS, all with their PLARSs.
The key mission package which introduces innovative capabilities at international level is the SAVER, the fully autonomous search and rescue suite capable to operate on a distressed submarine up to 600 metres depth. It includes the following containerized assets deployable not only by ship but also by air and land:
- the Submarine Rescue Vehicle (SRV) with Saipem Innovator 2.0 WROV and Drass CIRO (Core Installation for Rescue Operations) and its PLARS;
- the Transfer Under Pressure (TUP) and Rescue Decompression Chambers (RDC up to 60 people);
- the Submarine Ventilation System (SVS);
- the Ballast Tank Supply (IZ);
- the Submarine Rescue Chamber (SRC-Mc-Cann);
- an observation class ROV, AUV and ADS, all supported by the Fast Auxiliary System Deploy (FASD).
Currently in the final testing and certification phase, this capability will be discussed in a follow-on article.
Alternatively the SDO-SuRS can embark the NATO and US Navy submarine rescue suites.
No information has been disclosed about the GOI SF mission package, except for the embarkation of dedicated RHIBs such as the 11 metres fast boat provided by Cabi Cattaneo and containerized ISO standard undisclosed payloads.
T. Mariotti has a strong Italian-based design and supply chain for this programme, including Studio Engineering, Ortec, Gin Maritime Operation part of the same GIN group, in addition to Tecnavi, Savi, Pompe Garbarino, Pellegrini Marine, Cofi, alongside Sauer compressors, Alfa Laval and Schindler.
Images courtesy Mariotti Shipyard, Drass, Italian Navy
