Case Studies

ROV pilot expertise enables operations in shallow, poor-visibility waters.

Industry

Renewable Energy

Year

2023

Region

Europe & Middle East
Overview

In October 2023, Oceaneering's remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) on the Normand Installer vessel finished a work scope supporting the installation of three floating wind turbines 16 km off the southern French coast.

Our Solution

Two incumbent Oceaneering Millennium® ROVs supported by an Oceaneering seven-person crew and two third-party pilots provided the project with mixed discipline expertise.

While the project scope required a single ROV to execute operations, the availability of the second dive ready ROV assured continuity of service should the primary ROV need to be recovered.

In addition to the pre-survey activities for the three turbines, the project required intricate and precise piloting to navigate both complex operations and poor visibility conditions. A suction skid was fitted to the ROV to enable the landing out of suction piles. To engage the skid, pilots had to reverse onto an orientation plate and engage pins that secured the pile. Following this maneuver, the pilots needed to orient the pile and hold this position securely while it was lowered into the seabed.

Once piles were in place, the ROVs were used to install mooring lines, engaging locking pins, screwing on locking nuts, and engaging final locking pins. The tension lines were connected via pad eye at the seabed—all in poor visibility waters.

Results

The reliability of the two ROVs used on the job was excellent, enabling the ROV-based operations to be completed on time and without incident.

Having both ROVs available enabled the crew to select which ROV to use for specified parts of the scope, improving efficiency, safety, and the quality of delivery.

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