Remotely-operated Fugro USV inspects trunklines offshore Australia

Fugro has completed an entirely remote nearshore inspection of three gas trunklines for Woodside’s North West Shelf Project offshore Australia.

The company’s first operational Blue Essence uncrewed surface vehicle (USV), the 12-metre (39-foot) Fugro Maali, performed the inspection.

The USV remote inspection comprised a multibeam survey, visual inspection, and cathodic protection assessment of the gas trucklines to comply with Woodside and regulatory requirements.

Fitted with an electric remotely operated vehicle (eROV), the USV mobilised at the end of April and was controlled from the Woodside-operated King Bay supply facility and Fugro’s remote operations centre in Perth, about 1,500 km (932 miles) south of the trunklines.

During the one-month project, Fugro’s remote operations team navigated about 1,300 nautical miles in the surrounds of Dampier Port without incident and consumed 3,300 litres (872 gallons) of diesel. This reduced CO₂ emissions by 97% compared with a traditional vessel, the company claimed.

Fugro said its bespoke remote operations and robotic control architecture allowed the USV and eROV to be operated over large distances with minimal latency and high reliability, ensuring the USV operators maintained control of the vehicles in real time.

Source: Offshore Magazine