Norway-based subsea operations specialist Swire Seabed and compatriot provider of comprehensive ocean bottom seismic (OBS) solutions to the global oil and gas industry Seabed Solutions have signed an exclusive cooperation agreement for the provision of subsea dredging services worldwide.
A joint press release said that the expertise of the two companies is complementary, with Swire Seabed providing the Seabed Excavator, a state-of-the-art tracked subsea dredging vehicle with numerous capabilities, and Seabed Solutions years of dredging competence and experience.
The Seabed Excavator system is the safest and most powerful system of its kind, and can be deployed to 3000 m by a vessel crane or a dedicated active heave compensated launch and recovery system (LARS).
The newly upgraded system now features a Teledyne PDS Excavator Monitoring System (EMS) which shows a real time overview of the Seabed Excavator in navigation, profile and 3D views, displaying the excavator and surrounding assets in a color-coded digital terrain model (DTM). The EMS is used for planning, navigation, progress monitoring and documentation of the scope of work.
The high safety and technological standards of the Seabed Excavator system and proven track record of both Swire Seabed and Seabed Solutions will ensure subsea dredging projects are executed safely and efficiently.
The cooperation has already secured a 6 month contract for the upgraded system with an undisclosed client, and a team formed by both parties will operate the vehicle with Swire Seabed managing the project. Work will commence in Q4 2017.
Christian Aas, Managing Director of Seabed Solutions AS, said: "We are delighted to have entered into this agreement with Swire Seabed, enabling Seabed Solutions to operate the newest and most powerful subsea excavator on the market. In combination with our experienced crew and Project Management, the system will be more effective than other subsea dredging equipment available on the market."
Arvid Pettersen, CEO at Swire Seabed said: "We are excited to begin this strategic partnership with dredging specialist Seabed Solutions. The alliance will enable both companies to offer customized, safe and efficient dredging solutions to clients worldwide."