An unmanned answer to the 'three Ds'

摘要

The idea was to try to understand how autonomous vessels could be used in the future," Mike Wappett of QinetiQ explains. "In fact, they will probably be best utilised in dull, dirty and dangerous tasks." Therefore, QinetiQ has devised a concept autonomous standby firefighting and safety vessel that can loiter around an oilfield - potentially in a cluster - but also react, quickly, to trouble. It's an 80m-long craft with a straight bow and fine, wave-cutting entry and a 4.6m draught. The shape doesn't flare out as much as you might expect from a more standard hull but instead keeps a narrow 12m beam. "This is how you get a top speed of 20knots," explains Wappett, adding: "We don't have to pay as much attention to overall seakeeping as we would if it were manned." The lack of hotel functions on board also allows for a much simpler design: a necessary balance, considering there's no crew to keep an eye on things and react if something seems amiss.