In a recent operational success for Subsea 7's global IRM team, a Mohican observation class ROV, the first of three ROV systems onboard the Seven Viking to be fitted with remote piloting capability, was operated remotely from a dedicated onshore control centre (OCC) in Stavanger.
The Mohican ROV upgrade was carried out in parallel to normal vessel operations, with the upgraded system enabling real-time video feeds as well as live control signals and navigation images to be transmitted to the OCC. This advanced capability fully replicates, in high resolution, the control of the ROV while maintaining safe and robust performance.
The delivery of remote ROV control in an offshore environment while supporting a highly utilised IRM vessel during ongoing offshore operations is a significant step forward in the development of remote operations technology. During these operations the Seven Viking was operating 350km north west of Stavanger in water depths of approximately 320m.
A number of factors contributed to this success including engineering and development provided by our ROV & Autonomy team based in Aberdeen, vehicle-specific remote piloting engineering support provided by Forum Energy Technologies, and operational support provided by our team in Norway.
The addition of remote piloting capability for the Schilling HD WROV systems onboard the Seven Viking is on track to be completed by the end of this year.
Pleased with the outcome, Alan Gray, Subsea 7’s ROV & Autonomy Manager, said: “Strong collaboration between various teams, across multiple regions and work sites, was essential to the safe and successful delivery of this phase of the project.
“This is a significant achievement for Subsea 7’s ROV and autonomy programme and a step towards more sustainable subsea operations.”
