U.S NAvy and Phoenix INternational team to support rov competition

Tuesday, April 5, 2005 -- Washington, DC -- The U.S. Navy’s Office of the Supervisor of Salvage and Diving (SUPSALV) and Phoenix International, Inc., (Phoenix) combined resources to support local entrants in the fourth annual ROV Design Competition organized by The Marine Advanced Technology Education (MATE) Center and the Marine Technology Society (MTS) ROV Committee.

On a Saturday in mid February, members of the Langley High School, McLean, VA design team and their advisor arrived at Phoenix’s Landover, MD marine operations and engineering facility to gain first hand experience in the design and operation of ROVs. The Langley students are first time entrants in the MATE/MTS ROV design and operations competition to be held June 17-19, 2005 at the NASA Johnson Space Center Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory in Houston, TX.

To encourage high school and college students to choose a career in a marine science or technology, SUPSALV permitted its prime contractor for Undersea Operations, Phoenix International, to use a Navy owned ROV for an in-water flight demonstration for the Langley team. Each student had the opportunity to pilot the vehicle in Phoenix’s 10 x 20 x 12 ft. deep test tank. This hands-on experience was preceded by a tutorial and lunchtime Q/A period on ROV construction. The day included a plant tour of SUPSALV’s impressive inventory of search and recovery equipment, and ended with a Phoenix pledge to provide further technical support during the team’s design phase as well as financial assistance for ROV construction supplies. This effort is part of the national support MATE (www.marinetech.org) has generated for partnering members of the marine industry with aspiring students to address some of the challenging opportunities offered by a career in ocean related pursuits.

SUPSALV is responsible for developing and maintaining a national capability to search, locate, and recover objects lost in water depths to 20,000 feet. This capability is supplemented by Phoenix, who is contracted to maintain and operate the SUPSALV equipment.

Phoenix International is a marine service company that conducts manned and unmanned underwater operations worldwide. Core capabilities include underwater ship repair, deep ocean search / recovery, submarine rescue, sub-sea construction support, and engineering design and development.

pdf version

For More Information Contact:

Phoenix International, Inc.

9301 Largo Drive West, Largo, MD, 20774 USA

Tel: +1 (301) 341-7800

Fax: + 1 (301) 499-0027

tjanaitis@phnx-international.com or ggibbs@phnx-international.com