Cellula Robotics is pleased to announce a new contract with Fukada Salvage & Marine Works Co., Ltd. (Fukada) for mid-life maintenance and upgrade of their CRD100 Seafloor Drill. The drill and supporting equipment arrived at the Cellula facility in Burnaby, BC in January 2022.

The maintenance and upgrade program will improve operational efficiency, functionality and lifespan of the drill and incorporates many lessons learnt from the last six years of offshore work. Upgrades include a new user interface and increased automation.

The CRD100 is a fourth-generation seafloor drill designed to operate in waters down to 3000m depth for geotechnical surveys, mineral exploration, and methane gas hydrates sampling. Cellula has continued to support Fukada and the CRD100 since delivery in 2014. Previous upgrades have included a high-definition camera package for landing and bore-hole monitoring and a Cone Penetrometer Test (CPT) system complete with outrigger legs.

Fukada Salvage and Marine Works Co., Ltd. (FSM), headquartered in Osaka, Japan is involved in marine salvage, steel structure installation, offshore engineering, and other infrastructural improvement projects. FSM is currently introducing deep-sea research equipment and other cutting-edge assets to a fleet of six offshore support vessels to aggressively tackle ocean development projects. For more information, please visit the FSM website.