At the request of the Taiwanese government, Sulmara mobilized the WAM-V 16 unmanned surface vehicle (USV) and a team of specialists to assist in the recovery operation.
According to authorities, the vessel was carrying approximately 300 tons of fuel oil. The 143-meter vessel, which also carried three gantry cranes, lost propulsion off the coast of Taiwan on October 29 during the passage of Typhoon Kong-rey.
To safely conduct the salvage operation, it was necessary to survey the seabed near the stricken vessel so that a support vessel with pumps and equipment could safely approach. Sulmara equipped the WAM-V 16 USV with a multi-beam echo sounder (MBES), which is used to scan the seabed in 3D.
“The biggest challenge was the lack of information about underwater obstacles around the Yu Zhou Qi Hang. The gantry crane that fell into the water posed a danger to the rescue vessels in the vicinity. “That’s why the USV was chosen for the purpose of studying the bottom. The USV is a vessel with a minimal draft that can maneuver in this complex environment,” said Denny Wang, head of research at Sulmara.
