Underwater vehicle and method for installing retaining devices on an underwater pipeline

23:

• The underwater vehicle of claim 22, wherein the movable arm comprises a gripping device configured to at least one of:
• selectively grasp the retaining device and selectively release the taken retaining device.

24:

• The underwater vehicle of claim 23, wherein the gripping device comprises two movable gripping arms, each of which is provided with a sliding pin configured to engage a respective opening defined by the retaining device.

26:

• The underwater vehicle of claim 25, wherein the installation mechanism comprises an actuator configured to control the rotation of the movable arm about the rotation axis with respect to the slider.

27:

• The underwater vehicle of claim 22, wherein the charging seat comprises a rotating support element configured to rotatably support the plurality of retaining devices to dispose at least one of the retaining devices proximate the movable arm.

28:

• The underwater vehicle of claim 27, wherein the charging seat comprises a replaceable charger configured to contain the plurality of retaining devices stacked on top of each other and be mounted on the rotating support element.

29:

• The underwater vehicle of claim 28, wherein the replaceable charger extends about a central axis and comprises a plurality of housings arranged around the central axis, each of the housings extends along a respective axis substantially parallel to the central axis and is configured to contain a respective stack of retaining devices.

30:

• The underwater vehicle of claim 22, wherein the frame comprises a gantry structure comprising a first leg and a second leg, the first locomotion assembly being coupled to the first leg and the second locomotion assembly being coupled to the second leg such that, in use, the first locomotion assembly and the second locomotion assembly are disposed on opposite bands of the underwater pipeline with respect to the travel direction.

31:

• The underwater vehicle of claim 22, further comprising a cable positioning assembly configured to lay the cable on the underwater pipeline, wherein the cable positioning assembly comprises a laying arm with a first end coupled to the frame through a universal joint and a second end comprising a first guiding mechanism configured to guide the cable on the underwater pipeline.

32:

• The underwater vehicle of claim 31, wherein the first guiding mechanism comprises:
• a first roller assembly configured to slide on the underwater pipeline, and
• a second roller assembly configured to determine a sliding of the cable with respect to the laying arm.

33:

• The underwater vehicle of claim 31, wherein the cable positioning assembly comprises at least one first actuator configured to control a support pressure exerted by the first guiding mechanism on the underwater pipeline.

34:

• The underwater vehicle of claim 33, wherein the cable positioning assembly comprises two second actuators, each of which is hinged to the frame at a first end and to the laying arm at a second end.

35:

• The underwater vehicle of claim 31, wherein the cable positioning assembly comprises a second guiding mechanism coupled to the frame comprises a roller assembly configured to guide a slide of the cable with respect to the frame.

36:

• The underwater vehicle of claim 35, wherein the second guiding mechanism is movable between:
• a released position in which the cable is released from the second guiding mechanism, and
• a closed position in which the cable is tightened in the roller assembly.

37:

• The underwater vehicle of claim 31, further comprising an articulated service arm configured to pick up the cable and arrange the cable in the cable positioning assembly.

40:

• The method of claim 39, wherein (i) to (iv) occur before (v) and (vi).

41:

• The method of claim 39, wherein (i) to (iv) occur simultaneously with (v) and (vi).