Seoul, Korea – South Korea plans the fourth ever launching of an unmanned submarine which can explore depths to 6 kilometers, next Wednesday.

The Korea Ocean Research and Development Institute (KORDI) said Tuesday it would hold a launching ceremony with its submersible remotely operated vehicle (ROV), named “Herime.’’

“We will launch Herime underwater at our Kojedo branch in South Kyongsang Province. Later this year, the device will travel to the Pacific Ocean,’’ a KORDI spokesman said.

“Equipped with a pair of robotic arms, It will be able to scan wide swaths of the ocean floor in search of minerals or repair damaged underwater optical cables,’’ he said. The submersible ROV refers to an unmanned mobile tool used in deep sea, which is controlled from the surface by an operator via an umbilical.

A number of deep-sea animals and plants have been discovered in their natural environment using the ROV, which is also useful in locating may shipwrecks.

The country started building the submersible ROV in 1999 and has funneled 12 billion won over the past seven years finish building Herime late last year.

Currently, Herime undergoes pilot runs in the East Sea under the stewardship of Lee Pan-mook, a senior researcher at the state-backed KORDI and chief developer of the ROV.

Herime will make Korea the fourth country after the United States, France and Japan to retain a submersible ROV able to work as deep as 6 kilometers.

Hemire is 3.3 meters long, 1.8 meters wide and 2.2 meters tall. It weighs 3.2 tons and travels at 1.5 knots (about 10.8 kilometers) an hour.

Headed by Lee, KORDI has also developed an autonomous battery-powered underwater vehicle.

Over the long haul, it is expected to carry out several missions such as ocean mapping with its incorporated sensors and cameras.

Source: The Korea Times