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The ROV system includes the ROV and its cage, a con- trol van for operator control and a second van that serves as a workshop. "Often we have to reconfigure the ROV to meet customer needs and job requirements such as torque tools, dredging equipment, wire cutters, suction pile pumps and a variety of customer-driven and/or developed tooling," Rundquist said. "Crews maintain these systems to meet high Oceaneering and customer equipment stan- dards. That work is all done in the workshop at sea or on the rig or platform," Rundquist said. "The only limit to the ROV is the human mind as we have overcome many obstacles in support of subsea work in the oil patch."

ROVs are able to be outfitted and capable of multiple tasks, such as drilling, threading pipe, installing subsea trees and their valves, setting concrete mattresses (protec- tion for pipelines where they cross), just to name a few applications. They have also proven valuable performing

Inspection, Maintenance and Repair (IMR) work. ROVs are employed for drill support, construction projects and completion, an oil industry term for installing jumpers and trees. "ROVs are also invaluable at accident sites where airplanes, boats or other objects sink to the bottom of a body of water," said Yager. "They may be used for air- craft debris field inspection or in a work mode to assist in the recovery of the object," Yager added. A special class of

ROVs called the Magellan was specifically developed for this type of work.

Manufacturing "One of the advantages of our ROVs is that they are made by our company. We stock all repair parts and cus- tom configure each unit and its cage to the needs of the project, or the customer " Rundquist said. In April,

Oceaneering was building two new ROVs along with their cages, both headed to projects in Africa. Along with the actual ROV, the company builds and stocks the con- trol vans and workshops that are a part of every ROV installation.

A newly completed Millennium Series ROV.

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