Princess Amaliahaven expansion: Van Oord uses underwater ROV drone

Together with its partners HOCHTIEF CZ a. s. and Ballast Nedam, Van Oord’s crews are working on the expansion of Princess Amaliahaven on behalf of Haven Rotterdam.

They are constructing 2.5 kilometres of new inland shipping and deep-sea quays, which will have a depth of max. 20 metres.

Part of the project involves surveying and inspecting the underwater works.

Normally, this is done with the use of divers, but now a handheld ROV drone is being deployed for the first time to take underwater images, said Van Oord.

The remotely operated underwater drone, a kind of underwater robot, features a high-resolution 4K camera and sonar technology. The sonar measurements are converted into images, making it possible for everyone within the project to understand what is happening underwater.

“Even in turbid water we can safely and efficiently map, for example, quay walls and the soil. This means a reliable inspection can be done in all kinds of conditions,” said Van Oord.

The ROV drone can be used for various works and inspections. In Amaliahaven, Van Oord is visualising their dredging activities along the quays thanks to the ROV drone.