The TRIAXUS E Vehicle in action.

The Chinese Academy of Science has purchased the first TRIAXUS ROTV to be utilized aboard its research vessels in the South China Sea. This ROTV is the first of its kind to enter the Chinese Ocean Science market. With a sea acceptance test completed in Sept. 2018, the TRIAXUS ROTV is now in full operation.

Marine observation technology is a developing market as research organizations seek cutting-edge technology to facilitate their research. The new ROTV will facilitate research outlined by the South China Sea Institute of Oceanology (SCSIO), mainly in the areas of South China Sea circulation, tropical ocean-air processes, climate effects and eco-environmental consequences of dynamical processes.

Specifically developed for high-speed oceanographic data acquisition work, the TRIAXUS ROTV can undulate between 1 and 400 m, ensuring dense data acquisition throughout the water column. The TRIAXUS ROTV system includes a TRIAXUS E vehicle, TRIAXUS topside unit, a MERMAC S20 winch, inclusive of 3,000 m of electro-optic tow cable with subsea termination and a focal combined electro-optical slip ring. The TRIAXUS sensor payload consists of a Teledyne RDI acoustic Doppler current profiler, a SeaBird 911 CTD including a dissolved oxygen sensor and a WETLabs ECO fluorometer. —MacArtney Underwater Technology