RC Dock, headquartered in the Netherlands, is revolutionising the marine sector by harnessing innovative technology to transform marine operations.
The company has developed a range of highly sophisticated robotic vessels (USV)controlled from the company’s state-of-the-art onshore command centres. With no crew on board, it is imperative that all craft meet the highest environmental standards worldwide, resulting in them fitted out with Wave International’s Wavestream System 2 bilge filters to ensure no polluted water is discharged overboard.
RC Dock’s range of craft include unmanned survey vessels which operate worldwide, carrying out tasks including subsea data collection, maritime security, UXO (unexploded ordnance) clearance, pipeline and asset protection, construction and decommissioning support.
Using unmanned vessels enables RC Dock to offer significant operation cost savings to its customers and achieve key environmental targets.
“We estimate that carbon emissions are reduced by around 90% using robotic remotely controlled vessels,” RC Dock’s Chief Technology Officer and Founder Ronald Kraft said. “This is because vessels without crew can be much smaller and lighter. When we are designing and building craft, we do not need to build in crew accommodation, facilities and services, and therefore we can use much smaller engines and renewable energy systems.
“In comparison to other manned and crewed vessels, operating remotely controlled robotic unmanned vessels contributes significantly to environmental protection, and offers our customers considerable operational cost savings.”
As RC Dock’s vessels operate all over the world, the company ensures that every craft is manufactured to the highest standards and type approvals, which includes fitting every vessel with Wavestream System 2 oily water bilge filter systems. RC Dock builds in 100% redundancy on all its systems, with each vessel having a second fully operational system on board. The flow rate and output from the Wavestream Systems are monitored remotely and can be switched over to the reserve system if required.
Wavestream System 2 is one of a complete range of bilge water filtration system which uses cartridges incorporating a unique filter media designed to capture and retain pollutants, ensuring only clean water – with less than 5 parts per million of oil in water – is discharged overboard. These include oils and fuel, microplastics, fibres and heavy metals. Capable of adsorbing up to three times its own weight in oil and other pollutants, the Wavestream System 2 is Lloyds Register of Shipping Type Approved.
“As our vessels are unmanned and operating offshore for periods averaging around 25 days, we are exceptionally careful about factoring in contingency planning and installing the highest standard of environmental protection products,” said Kraft. “We chose Wave International’s Wavestream System 2 because it is Lloyds Standard approved, and we have service and support from one of Wave International’s distributors, Technautic BV in the Netherlands.”
RC Dock’s vessels can be purchased outright or leased, and services include ROVs, AUVs, and purpose-built R-USV motherships. The company also offers consultancy with AI-driven operating systems and Quantum Cryptography-as-a-service which addresses security vulnerabilities in real-time operations.
“We are happy to offer systems and services which not only offer significant environmental savings, but we also contribute towards a safer marine environment,” Kraft concluded.
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