Ashtead Technology Adds iXblue Subsea Positioning Systems to Its Rental Fleet

Subsea equipment rental and solutions specialist Ashtead Technology said it has added iXblue subsea positioning systems its rental fleet.

The investment includes the addition of iXblue’s Gaps M5 USBL acoustic positioning systems which are now available to rent throughout the company’s nine international technology and service hubs.

Gaps M5, the latest addition to iXblue’s USBL product range, is a medium frequency ultra-short baseline (USBL) system for the accurate positioning and tracking of subsea assets. Free of export restrictions, Gaps M5 is a more compact version of Gaps, a light high-performance USBL system. It offers extreme accuracy in shallow waters and horizontal tracking conditions.

In addition to the Gaps M5 USBL systems, Ashtead Technology has also recently invested in several iXblue attitude and heading reference systems and inertial navigation systems, including the iXblue Rovins, Rovins Nano, Octans and Phins Surface.

Brett Lestrange, Ashtead Technology’s Regional Director for Europe, said, “With over 17,000 assets in our subsea equipment rental fleet we offer one of the largest pools of subsea navigation and positioning systems for rent worldwide. This latest investment of iXblue equipment is a direct result of listening to our customers’ requirements and ensuring we have the broadest and most technologically advanced subsea equipment from leading manufacturers to support our customers’ projects worldwide."

Maverick Piccininni, iXblue’s, Regional Sales Manager, said, “This latest order from Ashtead Technology is their second largest investment in iXblue technology in the past few months which is testimony to our long-term partnership. It also demonstrates Ashtead Technology's commitment to leading edge technology and innovative solutions that brings robust performance, safety, reliability and differentiation to their customers. We look forward to seeing our new Gaps M5 USBL systems being deployed in the field and supporting Ashtead Technology’s customers worldwide.“

So far this year, Ashtead Technology has invested £7 million in new subsea equipment and technology to expand its extensive equipment rental fleet, further strengthening its position in the offshore energy subsea equipment rental sector.