Offshore staff
FRASERBURGH, UK– Ecosse IP (EIP) staged a trial of its Ambient Lifter system for the offshore market at an event in northeast Scotland earlier this week.
Attendees included representatives from the Oil and Gas Technology Centre (OGTC) in Aberdeen, which is jointly funding the field trial to develop new solutions to cut the costs of subsea installation and decommissioning.
The field trial demonstrated Ambient Lifter’s buoyancy allied to ROVs, allowing the system to lift 200 times its current capability.
It could potentially replace the need for heavy-lift vessels, EIP claimed, and reduce offshore waiting times as the system is designed to operate in challenging sea conditions.
Mike Wilson of Ecosse IP said: “The 10-metric ton [11-ton] Ambient Lifter, using either an ROV or an AUV, will free swim with over 200 times the weight of a conventional ROV, which is limited to about 50 kg [110 lb].
“The ability of lifting 10,000 kg [22,046 lb] opens up the scope of subsea construction, subsea salvage and applications that no one has even thought about yet…
“We’re grateful to our project partners, including Oceaneering and the OGTC, who have supported us in delivering this project so far, including our field trials this week.”
Susi Wiseman, OGTC’s project manager, claimed the development could cut subsea decommissioning costs by up to 40%.
The system is modular and both configurable and scalable to support a range of lifts from 10 metric tons to more than 24,000 metric tons (26,455 tons).
EIP is in talks with various operators on upcoming decommissioning and subsea projects.
03/27/2019
