Page 32: of Offshore Engineer Magazine (May/Jun 2024)

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AUTONOMY SUBSEA SURVEY

Ocean Infinity’s Armada surface robot vessels only require a skeleton crew because data processing and payload control is conducted from onshore operations centers.

Source: Ocean Infnity its target spec, it is easy to deploy another. sizes which only require a skeleton crew because data pro-

Each OBN is about a meter long and weighs around 25 cessing and payload control is conducted from onshore kilograms. The whole swarm system is containerized, up operations centers. to 250 OBNs per container, and suitable for deployment Andrew Galbraith, Managing Director of Ocean Infnity, by the deck crew of an OSV without ROV support. “We says that while ROV-based survey operations are integral to can scale it down to one OBN or up to 7,000. It doesn’t the Armada solution, the difference lies in their integration really matter. It’s just a number of containers,” says Tjøm. within a comprehensive system. “ROVs are launched, re- “Deployment is 50% faster than with ROVs, and recovery covered, and operated from a mother Armada vessel, along- is 50% faster.” Along with greater simplicity comes a 95% side various other payloads like Ocean Drill, SonicCorer, drop in GHG emissions, he says. Infnity CPT and AUVs. This consolidated approach opti- iDROP and some of its competitors expect to move be- mizes effciency and coordination in offshore operations.” yond pilot testing this year. His competitors have similar Ocean Infnity has already entered the offshore wind goals, claiming reduced emissions and dramatic reduction geotechnical market with its newly developed autono- in deployment logistics. Last year, Blue Ocean Seismic Ser- mous cone penetration test (CPT) device, Infnity CPT vices claimed its autonomous OBNs outperformed ROV- 250. Last year, for the Ossian wind farm, deep push seabed positioned OBNs. PXGEO uses hovering autonomous CPTs, seabed seismic CPTs and vibrocore operations were underwater vehicles rather than ROVs, claiming they are carried out remotely using over-the-horizon commands capable of deploying and recovering OBNs signifcantly sent via a remote-control system.

faster and with better precision than traditional methods. Recent advancements in AI and in low orbit, low laten-

Ocean Infnity is not removing ROVs from its autono- cy satellite communications which have greatly enhanced mous processes, but it is removing on-site human super- remote control solutions and real-time data transfer have vision. This year, the company signed an agreement with made it possible to do this. Infnity CPT and other pay-

Shell for the provision of lean-crewed and robotic geo- loads communicate directly with control systems on the physical and geotechnical services. This includes using mother vessel via a lift umbilical. The vessel's control sys-

Ocean Infnity’s Armada surface robot vessels of various tems communicate via satellite to the remote control cen- 32 OFFSHORE ENGINEER OEDIGITAL.COM