What is thought to be the world’s first commercial controlled-from-onshore ROV operations started at IKM Subsea headquarters in Norway this week.
Soon, up to three work class ROVs and one observation ROV on Statoil’s Snorre B and Visund installations will be controlled from IKM Subsea’s onshore control center near Stavanger.
One of the work class ROVs (RROV) has been designed and engineered to be permanently based on the seabed and will only be brought to surface for periodic maintenance.
A Company Acceptance Test (CAT) with Statoil was completed on 12 June, with the ROV at Snorre B, and the dual control center is now up and running.
"We foresee a potential significant cost saving for our clients with less POB and increasing operational time offshore for the ROVs," says Hans Fjellanger, business development manager, IKM. "With this setup and proven technology in place we see this as the first of many stepping stones into the future of ROV technology for IKM Subsea."
IKM's Merlin UCV (ultra compact vehicle) work class ROV are being used, along with new technology to supply the residential capacity and communication links needed to support the project.
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