James Fisher Subsea (JF Subsea), has reduced inspection downtime to two per cent for Shell UK, through the innovative use of asset-based remotely operated vehicles (ABROVs) on oil rig inspection programmes in the North Sea.

Traditionally, oil rig inspections are undertaken using a dedicated remotely operated vehicle support vessel (ROVSV), on which an ROV is secured. To remove the need of a ROVSV and the hazards involved with securing an ROV to the offshore platform, JF Subsea provided Shell UK with a gravity-based ABROV system.

While the use of ABROVs is not a new concept, the innovative way in which JF Subsea adapted them to Shell’s needs, and the duration for which they were utilised, demonstrates the close working relationship the company develops with its customers as well as its ability to tailor services to specific requirements. Following focused engagement sessions between both companies’ offshore installation managers, ABROV’s were successfully trialled on a planned riser and structural inspection on Shell’s Brent Bravo platform in the North Sea.

JF Subsea – which has a strongly developed relationship with Shell – provided inspection equipment, ROVs and personnel as part of a bespoke turnkey solution, with the inspection completed and a final report delivered within two weeks. Post project analysis concluded that downtime was reduced to 2% over the four-month campaign period.

Tim Welford, operations manager at JF Subsea said: “We have long project managed and supplied inspection solutions to Shell UK within the North Sea, and our latest collaboration has not only delivered the exceptional service Shell have come to expect, it has also improved efficiencies from all angles and provided detailed, credible reporting.

“Following the success of the 2016 ABROV inspection campaign on the Brent Bravo, Shearwater, Curlew, Brent Alpha, Gannet and Nelson platforms, Shell UK are now in discussions with JF Subsea to supply this style of service for the next five years on various platforms in the North Sea. JF Subsea is actively marketing this service globally as the benefits cannot be dismissed,” Welford concluded.

Charles Tiltscher, principle subsea engineer at Shell UK, commented: “James Fisher Subsea has consistently provided Shell with innovative and efficient solutions. The use of ABROVs has changed the way riser and structural inspections are performed, making them infinitely more efficient and they will become the norm for fulfilling our future requirements.”

An industry leader in subsea services, JF Subsea is able to utilise decade’s worth of expertise with forward thinking technology to provide an innovative, efficient and comprehensive service, globally.

Source: Oil and Gas Technology