Deep Blue Engineering Appoints Dieter Watelle to Key Post
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14 January 2015
Deep Blue Engineering UK Ltd, a specialist engineering design and development company serving the international marine, oil, gas and renewable energy industries,announced that it has appointed Dieter Watelle to the newly-created position of Design Engineer.
Drawing upon his experience in electromechanical engineering technology, Watelle’s primary responsibility is to develop the sophisticated propulsion systems for the Shuttle Sub.Essentially a large payload-carrying, remotely operated vehicle (ROV), the Shuttle Sub is Deep Blue Engineering’snew lift and deployment system developed for companies involved in subsea operations. It offers an efficient, cost-effective way to deploy heavy payloads - such as cables and umbilicals - to and from the seabed. It is used to install and retrieve equipment, lay cable and conduct salvage operations. Even when laden with a payload of 100 tonnes, the buoyant-controlled Shuttle Sub can float, dive, surface and maintain neutral buoyancy, so it is ideally suited for work being carried out in deepwater environments on – or near - the seabed. As such, the Shuttle Sub’s propulsion systems must be capable of propelling it, even when carrying a payload of 100 tonnes.
"Because it must propel itself at depths to 1,500 metres while carrying upwards of 100 tonnes, the Shuttle Sub’s propulsion systems must be very sophisticated and powerful. But it must still be easy to handle, to ensure the safety of everyone and everything involved.” said Watelle. "Right now, I am focusedsolely on making certain that the propulsion systems will deliver the power in the desired direction to increase maneuverability and stay reliable, regardless of the weight of the payload or how far subsea it is traveling.”
Originally from Belgium, Watelle earned a Master of Science Degree in Electromechanical Engineering Technology with Distinction from University of Ghent. Before joining Deep Blue Engineering as a full-time employee, Watelle was as an intern with the company, during which time he contributed tothe propulsion system of the first test-model. Previously, he worked as a Building Site Assistant for the Mechanical & Piping Division of SPIE Belgium, while studying in Ghent. He is currently studyingfor an MSc inComputational Modelling and Finite Elements in Engineering Mechanicsat Swansea Universityin Swansea, England.
Watelle is based at the Deep Blue Engineering headquarters in Hereford, England and reports to Simon Beale, Business Manager, and David Webster, Managing Director of Deep Blue Engineering.
"With his passion for embracing new and innovative ideas, and wealth of theoretical knowledge, we are confident that Dieter will ensure that the Shuttle Sub’s propulsion systems will perform efficiently,” said David Webster. "As his ability to translate theoretical knowledge into practical engineering designs evolves,he will be an outstanding asset to us in our quest to develop reliable systems that reduce costs while offering greater efficiencies and improved safety.”
Looking ahead, the first set of wet trials of the Shuttle Sub will take place in Q4 2015. Deep Blue will use a reduced scale Shuttle Sub prototype that has a payload capacity of four tonnes, making it one of the largest ROVs in the world.
