First sea trials of HROV the new hybrid vehicle developed by IFREMER

The ever increasing demand for biological and geophysical data of the underwater environment has prompted the French oceanographic institute IFREMER to develop a new underwater vehicle to meet novel scientific exploration challenges. The HROV Ariane bases its core innovative features on the duality of its operational modes, namely tethered and autonomous, both being implemented to allow operation from a non Dynamic Positioning (DP) capable light vessel. The vehicle´s main scientific objectives are also dual: to conduct high resolution bathymetric and optical survey and to perform scientific intervention tasks. From the outset the design effort has focused on identifying the best suited compromise while maintaining the given strict constraints on size and net weight to allow operation from light vessels. This has produced a uniquely innovative underwater system from the standpoint of actuation, mode management, payload integration and operational flexibility. It is the Institute´s objective to turn Ariane´s high exploitation potential into a viable asset to serve the scientific community; following the wet trials phase presented in this article that targeted system validation the vehicle will integrate the fleet of deep diving scientific underwater vehicles operated by the Institute in late 2015.