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Monday, 2 December, 2002, 18:24 GMT
Nautile: Miniature submarine
Infographic: Nautile
  • The mini-submarine Nautile which is probing the wreck of the oil tanker Prestige off Spain's Atlantic coast is capable of operating at a depth of 6 kilometres (3.7 miles).

  • Equipped with an array of cameras and twin robotic arms, the Nautile usually dives with a crew of three to carry out underwater surveys and collect samples.

  • The crew have to work in a tiny 2.3 metre- wide cabin. It carries sufficient oxygen for five hours underwater.

  • The Nautile, owned by the French maritime research institute Ifremer, is best known for diving to the sunken liner Titanic.

    Volunteer working to contain the spill

  • The titanium-hulled vessel is fitted with a underwater telephone line and acoustic image mapping equipment, allowing it to relay footage of underwater objects to the surface.

  • Four separate thruster motors allow the Nautile to manoeuvre easily in any direction. It can travel at a speed of 1.7 knots.

  • On some missions the Nautile is fitted with a tiny robot probe, Robin. This can detach from the main submarine and operate by remote control, penetrating inaccessible or dangerous underwater wreckage.

    • Spain's coast and maritime fauna are threatened by the oil spill from the break-up of the Prestige
    Oil spill threat

    Key stories
    Long-haul battle
    Salvaging options
    Nations assign blame
    Deadly tide
    Who pays?

    Background
    Submarine Nautile
    Single hulls 'vulnerable'
    Tanker law
    Long-term spill effects
    World's worst spills

    TALKING POINT
    How can oil slicks be prevented?

    AUDIO VIDEO
    TV and radio reports
    Internet links:

    Spanish Government
    Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Restoration
    Greenpeace
    Ifremer - French Research Institute for Exploitation of the Sea (in French)

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