Norwegian ingenuity in the subsea space strikes again, as IKM Subsea, based in Bryne, Norway, has opened what it believes is the world’s first commercial onshore controlled ROV operations. In the near future up to three Work class ROVs and one Observation ROV on Statoil’s Snorre B and Visund installations will be controlled from IKM Subsea’s onshore control center.
One of the Work Class ROVs (RROV) has been designed and engineered to be permanently based on the seabed and will only be brought to surface for periodic maintenance.
Picture from the dual control room at Bryne, Stavanger in Norway. This can easily be duplicated worldwide. (Photo: IKM Subsea)Pictured is Statoil company representative for ROV service agreements; Trond Eriksen and Snorre B Subsea engineer; Silje Ramvik together with IKM Subsea’s Operations Director; Jan Vegard Hestnes outside one of the Onshore Control Rooms after signing the CAT.. (Photo: IKM Subsea)Picture from the dual control room at Bryne, Stavanger in Norway. This can easily be duplicated worldwide. (Photo: IKM Subsea)Pictured is Statoil company representative for ROV service agreements; Trond Eriksen and Snorre B Subsea engineer; Silje Ramvik together with IKM Subsea’s Operations Director; Jan Vegard Hestnes outside one of the Onshore Control Rooms after signing the CAT.. (Photo: IKM Subsea)
The Company Acceptance Test (CAT) with Statoil was completed on June 12 with the ROV at Snorre B and the dual control center is now up and running.
“We foresee a potential significant cost saving for our clients with less POB and increasing operational time offshore for the ROVs,” said Hans Fjellanger Business Development Manager at IKM Subsea. ”With this setup and proven technology in place we see this as the first of many stepping stones into the future of ROV technology for IKM Subsea.”