Brazil’s first as Fugro and Petrobras complete remote subsea inspection survey

Dutch geo-data specialist Fugro and Brazilian oil and gas giant Petrobras have completed what they said is the first-ever remote subsea inspection survey off the coast of Brazil.

Fugro used a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) deployed from the Fugro Aquarius to conduct the survey. Office-based personnel piloted the ROV from an operations center in Aberdeen, Scotland, instead of from the vessel.

This technology trial was carried out by Fugro in collaboration with Petrobras under an existing multiyear contract with the aim of minimizing risk and improving sustainability during inspection, repair and maintenance (IRM) projects.

“This landmark project represents a significant achievement in our ongoing work with Petrobras to support safer and more sustainable offshore energy production in Brazil,” said John Chatten, Business Development Manager for Fugro’s marine operations in Brazil.

“As the country’s foremost provider of ROV services, we look forward to implementing this approach on future surveys and to bringing additional remote and autonomous innovations to the region.”

According to Fugro, the approach was accomplished using a high-speed datalink provided by Petrobras.

To remind, Fugro completed its first fully remote offshore integrity inspections campaign in January. The inspections were carried out in the North Sea using the Fugro Orca Blue Essence uncrewed surface vessel (USV) with Blue Volta electric ROV.

The Dutch company also recently opened its remote operations center (ROC) in St. John’s, Canada, which will be used for controlling offshore survey operations.