Subsea 7 to Bring the First Commercially Available Autonomous Inspection Vehicle to Market


Subsea 7, one of the world’s leading subsea engineering and construction companies is pleased to announce that, as part of its ongoing investment in assets and technology, and following a two year trial in conjunction with SeeByte, that the two companies will collaborate further to bring the first commercially available Autonomous Inspection Vehicle (AIV) to market. Designed by Subsea 7, the vehicle incorporates key SeeByte technologies and will be in-service during 2011.

Subsea 7’s OTC booth (#3873) has a scale model of the AIV, where visitors can gain a better understanding of the technology and speak with the programme managers.

Neil Milne, Subsea 7’s Vice President of Life-of-Field/i-Tech, commented:

“The AIV represents a significant technological advance in the area of subsea remote inspection and intervention. Autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) have been in service for some years, capable of tracking and surveying pipelines. With the arrival of the AIV, subsea structures such as manifolds, wellheads and risers will be able to be inspected by this tetherless technology, significantly increasing flexibility and efficiencies throughout the life-of-field cycle.”

Professor David Lane of SeeByte, added:

“The advanced autonomy systems that underpin the AIV’s capabilities are the outgrowth of many years of research, development and technology de-risking by SeeByte for security, renewable energy, offshore and transport applications. The AIV is yet another example of a SeeByte enabled remote machine that is improving productivity and reducing risk for its operator. We are delighted to be working with Subsea 7 to realise this game changing capability in the offshore oil and gas arena.”

Subsea 7 will also present the Autonomous Intervention Vehicle’s development so far as part of the OTC technical conference programme on Thursday 6th May at 09:52hrs. John Mair, Global Technology Manager, will deliver the paper ‘Autonomous Vehicle Qualification Demonstrates Potential for a Game Change’, which was written by himself and J. Jamieson of Subsea 7 and I. Tena and J. Evans, of SeeByte. It will outline how the AIV concept can be applied in a number of life-of-field operational scenarios as a viable tool capable of making a positive contribution to the industry.

Subsea 7 (OSO symbol: SUB) is one of the world’s leading subsea engineering and construction companies offering all the expertise and assets that make Subsea, Umbilical, Riser and Flowline (SURF) field development possible.

With a multi-national workforce in excess of 5,000 people worldwide, the company’s global offshore operations are supported out of the North Sea, Africa, Brazil, North and Central America and Asia Pacific. Subsea 7 has a fleet of industry leading, dynamically-positioned ships capable of reeled and flexible pipelay, subsea construction and saturation diving and a portfolio of pipeline construction yards worldwide.

SeeByte builds and supports world-class smart systems that improve the operational capability and reliability of unmanned underwater vehicles. Beyond visualisation and automation, its systems extract information to create remarkable awareness, which can be used to reason intuitively and autonomously. As a result, these technology and deployment capabilities make SeeByte-enabled remote machines more productive, safe and reliable; operational performance is significantly enhanced at a reduced cost. These achievements are made possible by partnering with global operators, contractors and manufacturers who are recognised as leaders within the industries they serve.

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Subsea 7, May 3, 2010;