Smaller Footprint, Broader Missions: How CHASING ROVs Expand Subsea Inspection Capabilities
Professional lightweight ROVs are moving beyond visual observation to support positioning, 3D modeling and nondestructive testing—without the deployment footprint of a work-class system.Subsea inspection has traditionally relied on commercial divers, large work-class ROVs and small camera platforms. A growing number of routine missions now fall between those categories.Operators may need to inspect a platform node, follow several kilometers of pipeline or return to the same wind foundation for comparison months later. These jobs demand stable maneuvering, professional sensors and traceable data, yet may not require a large vessel spread or complex launch-and-recovery system.That gap is expanding the role of professional lightweight ROVs. Their value lies not simply in being smaller, but in being easier to mobilize, configurable around the mission and capable of returning information that engineering teams can review and compare.From Video Platform to Data PlatformOptical video remains central to underwater inspection, but it is increasingly only one part of the record. Imaging sonar can extend visibility in turbid water. DVL and USBL systems can connect observations to position. Three-dimensional scanning can create a measurable structural model, while ultrasonic thickness and cathodic protection tools add information that images alone cannot provide.For manufacturers, this changes the design challenge. A lightweight ROV must do more than carry a camera. It must remain stable near structures, operate in current, support different payloads and transfer data reliably to the surface.CHASING is one company developing systems for this operating space. Founded in 2016, its professional portfolio includes the CHASING X industrial ROV and the more compact CHASING M2 PRO MAX.The two platforms address different deployment requirements, but follow the same principle: the ROV provides underwater mobility, control, power and communications, while accessories are selected according to the environment, target and required deliverables.For missions requiring greater range, stability and multi-sensor integration, CHASING X is rated to 350 meters and designed to resist currents of up to 4.5 knots. Its low-light 4K camera, 12,000-lumen lighting and open payload architecture support imaging sonar, positioning systems, 3D scanners and nondestructive testing instruments.CHASING M2 PRO MAX provides a smaller platform for close-range professional work. Its omnidirectional movement and integrated accessory interfaces support rapid field deployment and mission-specific payloads, including 3D scanning systems.Three Missions, Three ConfigurationsProjects in Venezuela and Denmark illustrate how this approach applies to different subsea tasks.In April 2026, Venezuelan marine engineering and underwater services provider INMARVENCO C.A. deployed CHASING X to inspect an offshore oil platform. Marine growth, turbid water and close-range work around structural connections required stable control and more than visual imaging alone.The ROV carried a UVision UScanner 3D scanning system, multibeam imaging sonar, an ultrasonic thickness sensor and a cathodic protection probe. The surface-controlled workflow combined five data layers: 4K video, sonar imagery, 3D structural models, wall-thickness readings and cathodic protection measurements.The project connected structural observation, digital modeling and nondestructive testing within one inspection workflow, producing information for engineering review and future comparison.A second INMARVENCO project in Lake Maracaibo placed different demands on CHASING X. The mission involved inspecting a nearshore 8-inch gas pipeline in low-visibility water and soft sediment.The ROV was configured with DVL, USBL, an Oculus 750d multibeam sonar, a cathodic protection probe and an ultrasonic thickness sensor. During a five-hour operation, the team recorded 4,260 meters of pipeline, examined anode rings and repair clamps, identified subsea cable crossings and collected selected integrity measurements.Here, the requirement was not only to see the pipeline, but to maintain tracking and link video, acoustic information, position and nondestructive testing results along a long linear asset.In southern Denmark, a two-person team used CHASING M2 PRO MAX with a UVision UScanner to survey an offshore wind turbine foundation.One operator piloted the ROV around the submerged pile while the second monitored scan quality from a surface computer. The processed imagery produced a measurable 3D model, creating a reference for reviewing marine growth, corrosion and surface changes during future inspections.The payload was different because the objective was different. The Danish operation focused on repeatable 3D data acquisition rather than thickness or cathodic protection measurement.A Broader Role in the Subsea Tool KitProfessional lightweight ROVs do not replace commercial divers or work-class systems. Their role is to add another layer to the subsea tool kit—one suited to preliminary surveys, routine inspection, targeted measurement and repeatable digital records.Their smaller field footprint can make inspections easier to schedule and repeat from shorelines, small vessels or constrained worksites. Modular payloads allow one platform to address different technical questions, while surface control gives field teams immediate access to the mission and can reduce unnecessary personnel exposure.The expanding role of lightweight ROVs will depend less on size alone than on how reliably they can carry mission-specific tools and return traceable data.CHASING’s recent projects show how a professional ROV portfolio can cover different operating scales while keeping payload selection mission-specific. As offshore asset management becomes more data-driven, that ability to connect mobility, sensing and usable information is likely to become increasingly important.About CHASINGFounded in 2016, CHASING develops and manufactures professional and consumer underwater ROVs, along with related underwater imaging and inspection technologies.Its professional product portfolio supports a wide range of applications, including offshore platform inspection, underwater infrastructure inspection, underwater emergency response, hull and dock inspection, aquaculture and fisheries, scientific research and environmental monitoring, border security and public safety, and underwater 3D imaging and exploration.For more information, visit https://www.chasing.com/en/?utm_source=pr_distribution&utm_medium=pr&utm_campaign=CHASING_PRMTR. A CHASING X industrial ROV prepared on deck for an offshore inspection operation in Venezuela. The ROV can be configured with different sensors and inspection tools according to the operating environment and required data deliverables.Courtesy of INMARVENCO C.A. and CHASING.