A cable laying and maintenance ship, the KDDI PACIFIC LINK is equipped with ROV MARCAS-III. MARCAS-III has the vehicle power of 600kw, dives to the maximum depth of 2,500 meters, and works for cable maintenance like MARCAS-II.
The mission and the burial method is almost the same as MARCAS-II. However, by making use of the higher power of 600kw, it can bury a cable to maximum depth of 3 meters, or can perform cable burial and maintenance operation regardless of a strong ocean current.
The power of 600kw is, currently, the top class one as a robot for communication cable maintenance in the world.
Specifications of MARCAS-III
| Maximum operational depth | 2,500m (3m Jet tool mode) |
| Dimensions (3m Jet tool mode) |
6.27m(Length)x3.7m(Width)x3.4m(Height) Weight in the air: 17 tons |
| Vehicle power | 600kw Electric motor 816HP |
| Maneuvering speed (under no burial operation) |
3.0 knots (forward/reverse) 2.0 knots (lateral) 1.5 knots (vertical) |
| Maximum burial depth | 3.0m (depends on geological condition and slope of the seabed) |
| Surveillance system | Camera: 6 units (color CCD:1 unit, black & white SIT: 1 unit, black & white CCD: 4 units) Ultrasonic image sonar Altimeter Echo sounder Cable exploration system Subsea lights: 10 units |
MARCAS-III Operating Scene
1. MARCAS-III is lifted up by the A-frame on the mother vessel, and is paid out overboard.
2. It is under testing of the cable sensor system on a wharf.
MARCAS-III is on the KDDI PACIFIC LINK, and is engaged in cable maintenance.
In a shallower ocean area than 2,500 meters, MARCAS-III carries out surveys on a laid cable status, exploration of a failure point of the cable, digging it out, cutting it and its reburial after the repair to maximum depth of 3 meters by the strong water jet.
3. Control MARCAS-III in the control room.
Watching a status of the seabed and cables by the subsea cameras or sonar of MARCAS-III, the ROV pilot controls MARCAS-III using the joystick in the control room of the KDDI PACIFIC LINK.