Offshore oil and gas
The OceanTech team has a proud history of providing splash zone solutions to the offshore oil and gas industry that stretches back to the early 1990s. Since then, we have refined our tools, technologies, and techniques in close collaboration with leading offshore operators and research centres. Our highly experienced, skilled engineering team develops and tests our technology in-house, and have deployed our solutions in projects all around the world.
Ageing offshore platforms and subsea structures sometimes require inspections or repairs that could prove too costly, complex, or hazardous using divers or remotely operated underwater vehicles (ROVs). Our robotic solutions, however, are efficient, cost-effective, and designed for access to the splash zone. By eliminating the need for support vessels (as often required when using divers or ROVs), they are also environmentally friendly and provide several HSE benefits. Among other things, they allow for unmanned work in confined spaces.
Tasks and projects we perform for the offshore oil and gas industry include:
- Caisson/riser inspections, repairs, and replacements
- Subsea clamp installations and removals
- Fairlead repairs and replacements
- Riser protection net (RPN) repairs and replacements
- I & J tube installations
- Anode installations
- Cutting and removal of guides, braces, and brackets
We can perform both simple inspections and larger modification projects. Recently, we replaced the riser protection nets at Equinor’s Heidrun platform, but our projects also include cleaning services prior to subsea operations, underwater plugging, and wall thickness measurements.
Offshore wind
Operation and maintenance (O&M) activities typically represent 25-30% of total lifecycle costs for offshore wind farms. Companies can achieve efficiency gains by:
- Increasing the reliability of components
- Optimising operations
- Improving the control of technical conditions
- Implementing regular inspections and maintenance routines
Although a modern offshore wind turbine could last 25 years or more, regular inspections and cleaning can eliminate the need for costly repairs, and even extend the lifespan of a turbine. The development of new and improved solutions for O&M is thus an important contribution to making the industry more cost-effective.
Our solutions can be used to inspect, clean, and maintain offshore wind structures in the splash zone. Projects and tasks we perform include:
- Cleaning of anchoring systems and turbine columns
- Anode inspections and replacements
- Monopile and jacket inspections and repairs
- Installing wrapping solutions, bumpers, and guides
- Repairing, retrofitting, or replacing boat landing systems
- Cutting and removal of guides, braces, and brackets
Due to the stable working platform, our operations provide significant benefits for fixed and floating turbine foundations. They are completely unaffected by currents and waves in the splash zone.
Currently, we are developing new cleaning and inspection equipment for anchor chains in collaboration with the global energy company Equinor. Our experience from offshore oil and gas projects, coupled with our Subsea Test Centre in Trondheim, enables us to transfer technical expertise and know-how to the offshore wind industry. This means we have and can further tailor equipment to the industry needs of the highest standards, both in terms of quality and safety.
Aquaculture
The global aquaculture industry is set to continue its strong growth into the next decades. Still, it’s challenged by the scarcity of sustainable fish feed, environmental loads, high-risk operations, and disease outbreaks. New solutions, including digital twins for farmed fish and automated solutions for net cleaning, may meet some of these challenges. At the same time, the industry is moving its operations further offshore to exposed areas with harsh conditions. This is likely to increase the demand for less weather-sensitive solutions than remotely operated underwater vehicles (ROVs).
OceanTech can provide our remotely operated solutions for the aquaculture industry on-site without interrupting farming operations. Typical services we provide include:
- Repairs, replacements, or modifications of structures
- Underwater cleaning and inspection of nets, barges, and structures
- Anode measurements and replacements
- Inspections, repairs, or modifications of mooring and anchoring systems
- Innovative image capturing for continual inspection and measurements
Our technical experts and project managers are experienced in coordinating large marine operations, and can also assist aquaculture businesses in installing and repairing fish cages.
Transport
Our work in the transport sector typically involves studies and advisory on floating bridges and underwater tunnels in highway projects. Examples include the E39 Coastal Highway Route in Norway, the largest infrastructure project in modern Norwegian history. Collaborating with the Norwegian Public Roads Administration, we provided an engineering study on floating bridge future maintenance planning and advice on how to deal with fatigue resulting from waves, currents, and drifting sea ice.
Other services we provide to the transport sector include:
- Inspections and repairs of jetty piles
- Inspections and repairs of bridge pillars, both steel and concrete
- Inspections and modifications to quay facilities
- Inspections, repairs, and modifications to floating bridges and similar structures
- Cutting of steel and concrete structures
OceanTech is a turnkey service provider. We offer inspection services, cleaning, repairs, and modifications to structures, and design our tools and techniques according to industry and client requirements. In addition, we handle all logistics, including rigging and lifting activities, as part of the total scope of work. We manage this through a global network of strategic partners, enabling us to perform tasks and projects worldwide.