January 4, 2013 / ROV

For organizations with interests on the water – from the U.S. military to local police departments and many different commercial entities in between – a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) can be a great investment.

Most recently, Australian researchers used an ROV to aid them in locating the deepest corals in the Great Barrier Reef that have ever been discovered. According to Fox News, this reef, called Acropora, lives 410 feet undersea – four times deeper than most scuba divers will ever go.

"These discoveries show just how little we really know about the reef and how much more is yet to be discovered," said expedition leader Pim Bongaerts of the University of Queensland. "This poses lots of questions for us, but now we have specimens, we'll be able to analyze them much more closely and can expect our findings to reveal a far greater understanding of just what is going on to enable reef corals to survive at such extreme depths."

According to the source, the team deployed an ROV along with more than 250 meters of cable to maintain communication with the underwater robot. Expedition member Paul Muir, a taxonomist from the Museum of Tropical Queensland, said that the particularly calm waters allowed them to send the vehicle down into the ocean off the edge of the Australian continental shelf.

While researchers in the Gulf of Mexico have found coral up to 2,650 feet deep, the 410-foot distance of the Acropora is notable for the Great Barrier Reef, where divers mostly encounter the displays at around 100 feet.

Without ROVs, deep sea discoveries like this wouldn't be possible. That's why it's important for commercial entities who utilize these underwater robots to invest in ROV insurance in the case of unexpected damages. By working with the right marine insurance agency, owners of ROVs can gain access to affordable coverage from the highest-rated providers in the industry.

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