Recently, the “CFCV1000” heavy work class Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV), a 1000-meter work class multi-purpose cable-controlled submersible for deep-sea resource development independently developed by COOEC Offshore-Fugro, successfully completed the subsea support mission for the jacket installation in the Huizhou 25-8 oilfield comprehensive adjustment project. The successful application of this operation marks a significant leap for COOEC Offshore-Fugro in the field of underwater robotics, from achieving breakthroughs in core technologies to industrial implementation, adding a new “deep-sea tool” for the development and utilization of marine energy and for building China into a strong maritime power.
Work class ROVs are hailed as the “hands of marine engineering,” being subsea engineering equipment that integrates powerful propulsion, high-precision manipulator arms, and complex sensor systems. In offshore oil and gas development, they can perform high-difficulty tasks in deep-sea environments unreachable by humans, such as subsea pipeline laying, platform structure installation, and equipment inspection and maintenance.
Unlike the 4000-meter work class ROVs that pursue extreme depths, the COOEC Offshore-Fugro 1000-meter work class ROV targets the more frequently operational deep-water areas around 1000 meters, emphasizing practicality, reliability, stability, supply chain autonomy, and cost advantages. Behind its success lies solid breakthroughs in three major technical areas:
COOEC Offshore-Fugro started with the overall design, adopting a compact layout and frame mechanics optimization to significantly enhance the ROV’s current resistance stability. Simultaneously, through extensive testing, high-strength, corrosion-resistant domestic materials were selected, not only ensuring reliability and maintainability but also effectively controlling costs, laying the foundation for large-scale application.
This ROV is equipped with high-precision, high-thrust vector thrusters, combined with an intelligent thrust allocation algorithm, enabling the ROV to both deliver powerful propulsion and achieve centimeter-level hovering and precise movement. It remains as stable as an “underwater drone” even in complex sea conditions, reliably completing close-range observation and high-precision operational tasks.
Power supply and data transmission are simultaneously achieved through a composite electro-optical umbilical cable, overcoming challenges of deep-sea electromagnetic interference and signal attenuation. This ensures instantaneous command delivery and real-time transmission of high-definition video, establishing a stable and reliable “neural pathway” between the mothership and the ROV, allowing operators to feel present and control it with great dexterity.
By carrying various types of sensors and optimizing the design of the subsea lighting layout, along with being equipped with the world’s latest turbid water camera, the ROV is ensured to operate in complex and low-visibility waters, greatly improving operational efficiency and safety.
The ROV is equipped with a 200-kilogram, 7-function master-slave controlled hydraulic manipulator arm that incorporates force feedback technology, allowing the operator to remotely “feel” the tactile sensation of the arm,极大地 (greatly) enhancing the precision and safety of operations.
The successful application of the COOEC Offshore-Fugro 1000-meter work class ROV not only marks a key breakthrough for China in work class underwater robotics technology and industrialization but also, through independent R&D, drives comprehensive upgrades in core technologies such as hydraulic systems, intelligent algorithms, and multi-sensor fusion, promoting the collaborative development of a domestic supply chain. Currently, COOEC Offshore-Fugro is actively advancing the construction of an ROV integration center, committed to building an industrial base that integrates R&D, manufacturing, testing, and operation & maintenance, further consolidating upstream and downstream resources to achieve a crucial leap from technological攻坚 (攻坚,攻克 -攻克 means to overcome, so likely “攻克” meaning overcoming /breakthroughs) to large-scale mass production. This initiative will continuously promote the gathering and training of domestic high-end marine equipment talent, injecting new momentum into the development of China’s deep-sea equipment industry cluster.
