OceanWorks International, who specialize in design and manufacture of manned and unmanned subsea systems, has successfully re-deployed the VENUS coastal network in the Strait of Georgia.
VENUS, part of the Ocean Networks Canada Observatory, is a cabled undersea laboratory with nodes that provide live video, acoustic images and real-time data for ocean researchers and explorers. VENUS delivers real time information from seafloor instruments via fiber optic cables to the University of Victoria, BC.
The failure of a power connector on the VENUS array in early fall 2012 led a joint team of engineers from OceanWorks International (OWI) and Ocean Networks Canada (ONC) to spend a week aboard the vessel CS Wave Venture recovering, repairing, testing and re-deploying the network. The marine operation was a challenging procedure for the cable ship but proceeded smoothly without any major complications.
“Faced with a demanding repair timeline, OceanWorks engineers developed a creative solution that enabled the Node Pod to be redeployed on time.” States Adrian Round, ONC’s Director, Observatory Operations. “As part of the repair, they also worked at sea to install upgraded Node Junction Cans which will significantly extend the life of the VENUS Strait of Georgia Array.”
The repair coincided with the seventh anniversary of operations for the VENUS network, which began on February 8, 2006.
