Slippurinn Akureyri in Iceland has already supplied Deep Trekker undersea drones to a number of aquaculture businesses, and the company’s project manager Valdemar Karl Kristinsson reports that these have quickly proved their worth.
‘The Deep Trekker provides ideal inspection access to cages and anchoring systems without the need to send a diver down. It shows immediately if anything needs to be repaired or maintained, so this saves time and costs, and imroves site security,’ he said.
The Deep Trekker comes with a range of tools, including the Net Patch Kit. This is attached to the Deep Trekker drone, with arms that hold a patch, while a motor powers a grab that allows the cage netting to be held so the tension is reduced while the meshes are lined up and the patch is fixed in place. Slippurinn Akureyri provides the installation hardware, while the customer supplies the netting to match that of the cage.
The primary purpose of the Deep Trekker is to carry out regular and precise inspections of cages and anchoring systems, and to ensure the security and working load capacity on installations, which is a vital element of new installations and to meet the demands of regulatory authorities.
‘The Deep Trekker allows the user to manage net inspection, improve the efficiency of net cleaning and watch out for abrasion or potential damage that could lead to escapes,’ Valdemar Karl Kristinsson said.
‘This makes it possible to see real-time imagery from undersea cameras, keep track of feeding, assess the condition of stocks and analyse fish behaviour. This saves both time and costs,’ he said.
