Electronics & Engineering Workshop

We’ve recently extended our already unique facilities to include a new workshop and control cabin for additional practical skills and experience for ROV students to train with.

The workshop hosts a number of work stations as well as an impressive work-class ROV – a Scorpio 43 – with a full scale seven function master/ slave manipulator. You will be trained to use the master arm and monitor from within the control cabin to remotely control the slave arm attached to the ROV. You’ll gain experience undertaking tasks using the manipulator arm, such as operating valves and hot stabs – replicating typical offshore operations. 

Most of the more advanced work-class ROVs in industry use these types of manipulators, meaning you will leave The Underwater Centre better trained than many of your counterparts.

Along with this are a number of ‘clean’ work benches, for you to learn about the use and repair of fibre optics. This includes learning about two methods of repair to a fibre optic - ‘hot melt’ and ‘fusion splicing’. Hot melt is a more traditional method for bonding fibres on to connectors using hot glue. Fusion splicing bonds the fibres using a precision electric arc to melt and join the two fibre ends together to fractions-of-a-micron accuracy.

This latest technology is a recent addition to the offshore ROV industry. All communications with the ROV are via this fibre optic link, so understanding and learning these tasks, with practical hands-on experience, will make you even more attractive to potential employers.

These additional facilities further complement our existing pier, loch side location and 1.5million litre indoor tank complex, which are unique for ROV training.

To see our facilities for yourself, contact us now to visit us on our next 'Introduction to ROV Careers' day.