A set of extra hands for Mærsk Laser

Remotely controlled robotic  arms make work on board anchor handler Mærsk Laser safer.

An anchor handler is a specialised ship which assists offshore platforms with a variety of tasks. For example, crewmen have to catch thick steel wires being lowered from platforms 70 meters above them on a rolling deck in order to hoist equipment up to the platforms. The sheer weight and inertia of the wires makes that a challenging task even for experienced deckhands - a task which can result in damaged fingers, or worse, if things go wrong.

Mærsk Laser, the latest anchor handling vessel built for Maersk Supply Service, has therefore been equipped with a unique set of extra hands to help with the dangerous tasks involved in assisting and supplying drilling rigs and oil production platforms. A prototype crane and two remotely controlled robotic arms have been installed to make work on-board safer.

The powerful crane and robotic arms are suspended from a sturdy frame mounted on the rails of the aft deck of the vessel and can be moved back and forth over the deck. Every movement can be controlled from the bridge, where a deckhand will use arms fitted with joysticks to control the pincer-like slave arms on the deck. The robotic arms will mirror the movements of the arms on the bridge, and small cameras mounted on the arms will give the visibility need to perform intricate tasks, like fitting equipment to a wire. The crane has been designed to lift 2 x 6.5 tonnes, but is being tested to lift at least 50% more than that. The remote arms can lift and turn with 300 kilograms of load.

This project enhances Maersk Supply Service’s strong  focus on safety and Maersk Maritime Technology was put in charge of the project management for implementation and adoption of the system. During the design period the drawings and specifications of the system have been reviewed by MMT, who also participated in the factory acceptance tests of various building stones of the system and finally at the tests in the yard after the installation of the system.  The Norwegian offshore supplier ODIM, who developed the system, claims the arms are so intuitive to use it only takes five minutes to learn. Captain Bang, however, expects it will take a lot of practice to master. The user gets ‘force feedback’ (also called haptic technology) from the arms, which means you will feel tension in the controls when you grip or lift an object – a simulation of the human sense of touch.