U.S. Army Corps of Engineers tests Mini Robotic Submersible Dredge (MRSD)

[Dredging360.com]

[Dredging360.com]

USACE tests underwater dredging ROV

The US Army Corps of Engineers is testing a new underwater dredging ROV, which will be used in dredging operations in the UAE later this year.

Designed and manufactured by EDDY Pump Corporation, the Mini Robotic Submersible Dredge (MRSD) is a heavy tracked drone capable of navigating the seabed, linked by a 300’ umbilical cable — with floating elements that suspend it in the water, keeping it out of the way of the dredger’s drill head – to a power unit. The MRSD is deployed from a shallow water landing craft, to clear the way for larger military landing craft to approach without beaching.

The USACE also claims the device will be used for humanitarian purposes and to clear debris from vital waterways in the wake of catastrophic weather events such as hurricanes or tsunamis.