ST. PETERSBURG, August 26. /TASS/. Sea trials of the first domestically-produced heavy-duty remotely-operated underwater vehicle (ROV), the Sakhalin, took place in St. Petersburg, a TASS correspondent reports.

"We have been operating similar imported vehicles for more than 10-15 years and have accumulated a great deal of experience, but due to the complex geopolitical situation and sanctions, getting components has become more difficult. We decided to build our own vehicle, incorporating the best features from several systems," Anton Sklyar, head of the robotic underwater technical operations department at the Fertoing company, told reporters.

According to the developers, creating a heavy-duty underwater robot is essentially like building a spacecraft. The engineers carried out a full range of work: from calculations and mathematical modeling to software development, structural and process design, and the manufacture of components and systems.

The Sakhalin vehicle is capable of operating at depths of up to 3,000 meters, servicing underwater infrastructure - oil and gas fields, pipelines, and cable routes - conducting emergency and search operations, and performing complex tasks using manipulator arms.

"The development began in 2022-2023. The first two years involved intensive work by engineers and designers, and we moved on to production in 2024. There are many new technical solutions. The entire electronic component is entirely our own design, we do not use any parts from imported vehicles," Sklyar noted.

The first sea trials took place in the waters of the St. Petersburg protective structures system. Next year, the Sakhalin is scheduled to be deployed for operations on the Okhotsk Sea shelf, specifically, in the construction of an underwater production complex. The vehicle will be capable of performing a full range of tasks: from carrying out inspections and searching for objects to installing equipment, connecting electrical and hydraulic lines, as well as fine-tuning work at depth.

The submersible is operated by a crew of three per shift: a chief pilot, a co-pilot (who operates the manipulators), and a shift supervisor. At sea, operations are conducted around the clock, in two 12-hour shifts.

The project is being developed as part of a strategic partnership between Fertoing, the People of the Sea Foundation, and the Russian Maritime Team, which serves as the direct contractor and provider of engineering expertise.