'Scorpio' Remotely Operated Vehicle
Datec. 1990
Object NameROV
Mediummetal, plastic
ClassificationsNorth Sea Oil and Gas Industries
Dimensions260cm length x 120cm breadth x 160cm high
AcquisitionPresented in 1997 by Subsea Ltd.
LocationOn Display - Aberdeen Maritime Museum
Object numberABDMS031515
About MeThis is a Scorpio remotely operated vehicle or ROV. Since the mid-1970s, the use of ROVs in the North Sea oil industry has increased steadily. ROVs are less affected by conditions like temperature and pressure than divers and can stay underwater for longer.ROVs carry out tasks such as undersea inspection and maintenance. They are fitted with equipment including sonars and video cameras. Vehicles like Scorpio, which have a manipulator arm, can operate or change valves and deploy and recover equipment.
The ROV is controlled by signals sent down its umbilical cable, which also supplies electrical power, usually from a platform or vessel.
New completely autonomous vehicles are now being developed which are capable of resting on the seabed in a housing and being programmed to carry out regular tasks like pipework inspection. These new generation vehicles can also be used to do specialist tasks such as sampling or repair work.
late 20th-early 21st Century
mid 20th-late 20th Century
