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www.sea-technology.com July 2014 / st 13 and applications across all ocean-related industries. Owing to this central and often underappreciated role, the winch concept has undergone a string of intense developments, creating powerful, effcient and intelligent systems that are fully abreast with the advanced underwater systems that they support. Major developments that have contributed vastly to the winch system march of progression include the introduction of electric winch systems and active heave compensation. MacArtney is proud to have played a signif- cant role in pioneering and merging these two technologies, while concurrently aiming to add intangible value to winch operators through the application of underwater technology expertise in optimizing the interaction between the winch and the application. Acknowledgments The author thanks Odyssey Marine Exploration and Sea- Botix for providing case material and imagery for this article. References For a list of references, contact Klaus Brix at kbr@macart ney.com. n The CDS container, with its single point lifting capabil- ity, can be mobilized very quickly on vessels of opportu- nity. With only a small crew requirement, the CDS system is simple to deploy, operate and service. A host of features are included to comply with the demanding conditions, which often form an inseparable part of the offshore sub- sea inspection, disaster response and deepwater scientifc research missions on which ROVs are frequently deployed. The included vLBV4000 is a stable and sensor-rich ROV with the ability to inspect tight areas in complex structures at depth. However, in order to ensure the stable, accurate and safe performance of this ROV, the CDS system features an integrated and purpose-developed MacArtney MERMAC electric ROV winch with active heave compensation. On several fronts, the MERMAC winch represents an ideal ROV handling solution for the SeaBotix CDS system. The MERMAC is designed and engineered to be self-con- tained, modular and compact, yet easy to operate and ser- vice. Besides the intelligent AHC capability, the winch used with the SeaBotix CDS systems incorporates several other features. These include a space-saving, right-angle winch confguration with the level wind sheave integrated within the protective frame, central grease points for easy system lubrication, a PC-based and user-friendly GUI for control and monitoring of TMS deployment with speed and tension control. Finally, a wireless handheld controller is used for fexible, tangle-free operation. Conclusions The winch plays a pivotal role in the launch, handling and recovery of marine and underwater equipment, systems Klaus Brix received his degree in mechanical engi- neering from the University of Aarhus in 1999 and earned a diploma in business administration and mar- keting management from the University of Southern Denmark in 2005. Since 2009, Klaus has worked as a sales manager for MacArtney launch-and-recovery systems, winches and slip rings.