autonomous underwater vehicles

Scientists at the National Oceanographic Centre have released a review of how marine robotic capabilities can support the environmental monitoring needed for decommissioning oil and gas installations.

Saipem is taking the lead in advancing the capabilities of FlatFish, an autonomous underwater vehicle being developed by Shell for commercial application by 2020.

Subsea inspection/repair/maintenance services have traditionally relied on vessel-based, ROV, or diver operations. In the longer term, identifying significant incremental savings in these operations is not sustainable and an innovative approach deploying digital technologies is being investigated.

ROVs dominate the world of subsea inspections, maintenance, and repair, but as operators work in a post-downturn economy, autonomous systems have become more in demand. Autonomous inspections are possible today, but how can they help with light and heavy intervention?

As operators look for cost-efficient ways to address the challenges in facility maintenance and deepwater exploration, autonomous underwater vehicles are being developed for complex data gathering and advanced tasks.

Advanced AUVs with early-stage technologies for live streaming, ultrasonic testing, and 3D laser scanning are set to enter inspection trials on North Sea facilities. The aim is to reduce facilities inspection costs by 50%.

Aquabotix’s SwarmDiver technology marks a major milestone in the growing trend toward swarm-deployed underwater vehicles.

The feasibility test conducted offshore Abu Dhabi demonstrated the successful and safe deployment, seismic-data acquisition, and retrieval capabilities of the AMV and 3D sensor array.

WiSub will lead a consortium with Statoil, Kongsberg, Saab, and other companies and universities to develop a standardized interface for AUV docking with subsea structures, as well as bi-directional power transfer to help charge sensor networks.

AUVs aren’t limited to inspections and pipeline surveys. Deployment of a flotilla of AUVs to work on a project, and the communication among them, may someday lead to a subsea Internet of Things.