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Robot Submarine to be used in Joint Exercise

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  • Robot Submarine to be used in Joint Exercise

    Picture of Minister and ROV


    Minister Noel Dempsey today announced details of a major marine search and recovery exercise co-ordinated by the Irish Coast Guard that will to take place off the Cork coastline this week from 12-15 July 2010.







    (Picture: Dr Peter Heffernan of the Marine Institute (Centre) demonstrates the ROV Holland 1 to Minister Tony Killeen T.D. and Marine Institute Chairman Mr. Jim Fennell (Right) alongside the research vessell RV Celtic Explorer in Galway Docks earlier this year).

    The exercise, in conjunction with the Marine Institute, the Commissioner for Irish Lights and the Navy, will simulate some major emergency situations including an aircraft crash, recovery of the 'Black Box'. The simulation exercise will also involve deep diving operations and the seeking and survey of a wrecked vessel. It will also incorporate the recovery of items such as ditched contraband and the rendering safe of underwater explosives.

    A Service Level Agreement between the Irish Aviation Authority and the Irish Coast Guard was agreed in February of this year. It was agreed that should an aircraft force land in a maritime area, the IAA's Air Rescue Coordination Centre (ARCC) would be responsible for determining the initial search area, but co-ordination shall then transfer to the Coast Guard with continued close co-operation and back-up services from ARCC. As a result of this it was seen that there would need to be close cooperation between all the different agencies and authorities in responding to such a scenario. One of the most important aspects of an aircraft incident investigation is the location and recovery of the aircraft's 'black box'. The Coast Guard, as part of an Agreement with Commissioner of Irish Lights, has chartered their vessel ILV Granuaile, to act as a marine platform for Naval Divers and Holland 1, the Marine Institute's robot submarine a Remotely Operated vehicle (ROV).

    Holland 1 and the Navy Dive Team will be deployed from ILV Granuaile. Primarily used in maintenance of Aids to Navigation the ILV Granuaile is a sophisticated multi functional vessel whose 80-metre length, 16 metre and Dynamic Positioning capability make her an ideal platform for this task. The naval vessel L.E. Eithne will be on site for the duration of the exercise with its Commanding Officer acting as on-scene co-ordinator. The L.E. Eithne will act as the under water crisis management centre for all the personnel involved in the exercise, including the eighteen person naval diving team and the ROV operators and Coast Guard personnel.

    Speaking today, Minister Noel Dempsey TD said: "The purpose of this joint exercise is to ensure and examine the level and quality of preparedness in the Irish Coast Guard response and that of our intra-agency partners. Simulations such as are a valuable way to test our co-ordinated emergency response to ensure that in the event of a major emergency, that the appropriate and necessary measures are in place in search, rescue and recovery."

    Minister of Defence Mr. Tony Killeen T.D., said that "through Inter Agency co-operation and establishing appropriate protocols for joint exercises we can ensure our ships and our divers are ready to respond in an appropriate and timely manner for given situations."

    "While the ROV Holland was acquired primarily as a research vessel, another key function is to provide the capability to assist underwater search and recovery operations," said Mr. Sean Connick, T.D., Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. "We are therefore delighted to take part in this important exercise, which will involve a combined national ROV team piloting the Holland 1 operated by Naval and Marine Institute pilots."

    Holland 1 and Granuaile are available for inter agency work as part of Service Level Agreements between the various parties which promote inter-agency cooperation and the up-skilling of personnel in each organisations for collaborative operations.


    Catch-22 says they have a right to do anything we can't stop them from doing.

  • #2
    are the marine ships rv explorer and voyager owned by the state ore are they leased

    Comment


    • #3
      State. Marine Institute, in galway. And it's RV Celtic Voyager and Celtic explorer.


      Catch-22 says they have a right to do anything we can't stop them from doing.

      Comment


      • #4
        Rov

        Does the proposed deployment of the Marine institute ROV for incidents mean that the NS will no longer have the lead technical role for remote UW searches. If the NS were to acquire an ETV type vessel as part of a well balanced/configured flotilla it would then have the stable diving platform essential for diving ops that a PV cannot deliver be the lead agency for all UW ops.

        Comment


        • #5
          Its all about sharing assets and expertise. The MI will use it for their routine looking at the seabed work, but in emergency the NS will be able to get it to wherever quickly, and begin search. The NS still have the better diving expertise.


          Catch-22 says they have a right to do anything we can't stop them from doing.

          Comment


          • #6
            Instead of sharing assets should all assets be centralized in one organization?

            Comment


            • #7
              Naval assets/oeganisation

              By all means specialised equipment should be made available to other relevant agencies as otherwise diff gov agencies would be covering the same ground competing with each other giving an adequate service rather than complimenting eachother and giving a cutting edge service.

              This concept opens up poss of CG allowing NS have access to CG helos for ops? etc

              In relation to ROV ops the use of MI rov means best is available but the NS has no real technical input unless divers are deployed.If the NS got an ETV it would put it at the centre of recovery ops.

              On a similiar theme the NS mission statement refers to it having pollution control operability , does anyone know what type of equipment etc is available and what ships are so equipped, so far I have not come across anything on this topic.


              Regarding having one large org to cover all marine ops lets be wary as look at the mess the HSE has turned out to be.

              Comment


              • #8
                All NS vessels are equipped with dispersant. However Oil dispersal is no longer considered environmentally friendly, as all it does is sink the oil. Recovery of oil by specialised ships is the approved method currently.


                Catch-22 says they have a right to do anything we can't stop them from doing.

                Comment


                • #9
                  Originally posted by danno View Post
                  By all means specialised equipment should be made available to other relevant agencies as otherwise diff gov agencies would be covering the same ground competing with each other giving an adequate service rather than complimenting eachother and giving a cutting edge service.
                  If they have the same requirements etc

                  This concept opens up poss of CG allowing NS have access to CG helos for ops? etc
                  Depends what you define as ops?

                  CG helicopters have in the past been used to drop NS divers but I presume it relates to SAR training/ops. Having said that the footage of Dunlough Bay showed an RNLI lifeboat collecting bails of drugs!?

                  Regarding having one large org to cover all marine ops lets be wary as look at the mess the HSE has turned out to be.
                  HSE is a very different kettle of fish, the NS wasn't broken (apart from not being given adequate resources) the health service was/is.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Naval assets/oeganisation

                    While both of the following work well in their own right is there a case for amalgamating the 24/7 radio/VMS monitoring done by the NS with the 24/7 coastal radio/epirb monitoring done by the CG or at least using both resourses at a level which avoids unneeded overlap.
                    With modern technology the actual location of the call centre is no longer critical and what counts most to the mariner in distress is that he is communicating with somebody competent and capable of initiating the appropriate action.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Exactly, it was recommended in 2002, that one of the current three IRCG locations be closed (as 2 offered sufficient redundancy). To the best of my knowledge Haulbowline wasn't even suggested as a possible location (strangely).

                      The only possible problem I could see would be possibly space (not sure of the layout in Haulbowline) and security (eg during an arms/drugs interdiction operation or even during normal NS fishery protection ops).

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Originally posted by DeV View Post
                        To the best of my knowledge Haulbowline wasn't even suggested as a possible location (strangely).

                        The only possible problem I could see would be possibly space (not sure of the layout in Haulbowline) and security (eg during an arms/drugs interdiction operation or even during normal NS fishery protection ops).
                        Let me enlighten you



                        "The Question is not: how far you will take this? The Question is do you possess the constitution to go as far as is needed?"

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                        • #13
                          I was more thinking of where NS Ops, COMCEN, FMC, Naval Int etc is, is there space there? (obviously I don't know and don't want to know on a public forum where it is). But there could be room for a new building for these and a IRCG "call-centre"/MRCC on the island.

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            MRCC was in Haulbowline for a while in the early 80s.


                            Catch-22 says they have a right to do anything we can't stop them from doing.

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Naval assets/oeganisation

                              If the NS took over the CG call centre/MRCC function would it thus have op control over the CG helis?

                              Comment

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