Ocean Floor Geophysics and DOF Subsea have entered into a strategic alliance for Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) services.
Ocean Floor Geophysics and DOF Subsea have entered into a strategic alliance for Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) services.
The partnership will leverage the two businesses’ recent collaboration in the development of the OFG AUV non-contact integrated Cathodic Protection (iCP) inspection system and enable the sharing of resources on several pipeline inspection and geohazard surveys. It will also provide the framework for a coordinated response to the increasing demand for AUV surveys.
OFG said the iCP technology delivers greater efficiencies during AUV pipeline and infrastructure inspections by allowing for anomalies and the overall system health check to be analysed in near real-time offshore. Its miniaturized electronics also simplify deployment on light logistics AUVs, ROVs and shallow water active towfish for pipeline, cable, structure and umbilical inspection, OFG added.
Marco Sclocchi, EVP of DOF North America said: ‘Since our first project together in 2018 to prove the iCP technology on an AUV pipeline inspection survey, we have found that there is a clear alignment between our two companies in performing safe operations and providing the highest quality data in the market. This alliance will also enhance the global footprint of both DOF and OFG through the coordination of asset utilization enabling us to expand our existing operations.’
In addition to the iCP technology, the shared resources will provide the alliance with a full suite of specialized sensors such as a CathX laser and photogrammetry system and HiSAS synthetic aperture sonar on top of the standard sensors capable of performing geophysical and pipeline inspection surveys.
Matthew Kowalczyk, CEO of OFG added: ‘The introduction of iCP into the AUV market removes the final barrier for fully autonomous inspections.’
OFG said that the partnership will also allow both companies to better serve and expand their client bases in the offshore energy and seabed mining industries.
