‘Important milestone’ in Brazil as Oceaneering completes its first onshore ROV piloting

U.S.-based Oceaneering has completed its first onshore piloting of a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) from an onshore remote operation center (OROC) in Brazil, carried out in partnership with the Brazillian oil and gas giant Petrobras.

The companies worked together to ensure secure offshore connectivity for piloting the ROV from the OROC in Macaé, Rio de Janeiro, using existing LTE coverage in the field.

This endeavor entailed a complex setup process to establish a bridge between the data networks of both companies. The goal was to achieve low latency while adhering to their stringent cyber security policies.

The Oceaneering team undertook tasks across a spectrum of water depths, spanning from 5 to 1,100 meters (from 16 to 3600 feet), encompassing inspections as well as hull inspections involving cleaning and interventions. 

This work was conducted over 14 days in November 2023 onboard the CBO Manoella vessel. Utilizing the 220 hp heavy work class Millennium Plus ROV, the Oceaneering team facilitated remote operations from land. 

According to the company, the Brazilian team successfully operated the vehicle across four different scopes with an uptime of 100%.

“This project is a demonstration of Oceaneering’s leadership in the subsea robotics space deploying remote operations technology and executing value added projects in Brazil, helping our customers reduce carbon emission and safety exposure in their operations,” said Simao Silva, Brazil Country Manager at Oceaneering. 

“Remote operations will help increase the safety of offshore operations a while increasing the efficiency and providing our customers with specialized services per scope.” 

The two companies in October 2023 signed a contract for the operation of drill pipe riser (DPR) systems in Brazil.

Under a five-year contract, Oceaneering’s wholly-owned subsidiary Marine Production Systems do Brasil will operate three existing DPR systems to support intervention and completion operations.