Remotely operated vehicle (ROV)for submarine cable inspection is a kind of large equipment based on the use of a large construction vessel. It is necessary to design a ROV dedicated for submarine cable inspection so as to carry out routine inspection by operation and maintenance companies. Firstly, based on the actual situation of Hainan interconnection project, the ability of anti-ocean-current for ROV is obtained from the statistics and analysis of hydrology and ocean current data information, the basic parameters such as power, propulsive force and travel speed are calculated, and the positioning method is designed. Secondly, according to the needs of submarine cable inspection, various types of detection instruments to be mounted on ROV are analyzed and determined. Combined with the characteristics of the vessel, the safe operation modes of ROV based on platforms without dynamic positioning are analyzed. Finally, the special design requirements for the ROV used for 500 kV submarine cable detection in Hainan interconnection project are proposed according to operation and maintenance conditions.