Solico has designed and engineered a 77 litre machined aluminium emergency supply POD for the Royal Dutch Navy and will showcase the new design at Undersea Defence Technology (UDT) in Rostock from May 9-11th. When a submarine is downed or distressed, known as a DISSUB scenario, time is of the essence to deliver additional supplies that can supplement the submarine’s on-board life support systems until a rescue operation can reach the vessel. The POD allows crucial supplies such as oxygen candles, food, and essential medical equipment to be quickly delivered to the submarine in distress.
The POD has been tested to a maximum depth of 1000m and can be transported to the submarine by a skilled diver or a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) controlled from the surface. Solico engineers had to ensure that the POD was simple to open and close by one person, with the resulting design including bespoke lightweight wrenches for easy operation by a single operator.
Submarine emergency supply pods must be ready to deploy at all times. Therefore, as part of the design process, Solico has also designed a dedicated storage rack for onboard or shore side storage of the POD. Built-in storage compartments contain buoyancy weights, pod wrenches, spare parts and consumables, allowing the complete rack and POD assembly to transported by forklift, crane or helicopter.
Furthermore, the Solico POD design can be customized for each end users’ requirements, with internal storage capacity and mounting options adjustable to suit different applications.
