CYBERNETIX Eyeing Pre-salt Subsea Service Contracts in Brazil

Marseille-based Cybernetix is a major European provider of remotely operated or robotic systems for intervention in subsea systems, operating in 15 countries. The company launched its Brazilian subsidiary in December 2010, located in Rio de Janeiro. CYBERNETIX Produtos e Servicos Ltda. "CYBERNETIX do Brasil" was born to compete for subsea contracts in Brazil, specifically aiming at services for the deepwater subsea pre-salt plays being discovered and also for those plays going through EWTs or already in first phases of production, as some pre-salt plays already are.

Structural integrity monitoring for offshore units along with robotics equipments for inspection, maintenance and repair of offshore and subsea installations are some of the capabilities of CYBERNETIX do Brasil, along with plans to integrate imported equipment with equipment manufactured in Brazil or even complete manufacturing of equipment locally, abiding to local content requirements. Technology transfer is also in the cards, as Cybernetix intends to partner local technology research centers in Brazil in order to adapt solutions and develop specific technologies for different and complex subsea environments such as the pre-salt reservoirs and other deepwater discoveries.

Cybernetix offers subsea services encompassing O&G industry demands ranging from feasibility studies to deepwater AUV operations, in the field such as deep water and surface liaisons, underwater structures and structure monitoring services, pipeline and flow line inspection. It is yet another European subsea service specialist investing in a long term involvement in the Brazilian deepwater O&G market. The company has 145 employees worldwide and has developed a world-class engineering and services expertise in project management, and integration of global solutions, operating in 15 countries. It can be expected that with the new local office and growing industry demands, there will be a need for local employee training in order to augment the mainly expat offshore operations teams.

The company is also developing a hybrid AUV/ROV aiming at providing full IMR services (Inspection Maintenance and Repair) on the basis of the very innovative solution, Swimmer AUV/ROV designed to provide deepwater inspection and intervention services, which may be a product concept that could bring important logistical solutions to deepwater O&G operations and potentially becoming economically advantageous to deepwater service providers and operators alike.

The Swimmer AUV transports a specially adapted Work class ROV to the deepwater location and connects itself to a special subsea power hub that is energized from a surface vessel such as an FPSO, even a large multipurpose vessel can be its support vessel as the electronic connection to the subsea power hub is done through a power and control umbilical. Once hooked up the ROV can be deployed to do its own work controlled from the surface vessel, between ROV interventions, the host AUV can do its inspections and sensory monitoring of offshore structures, such as flowlines, riser and pipelines. An operational Swimmer system will make it possible for onsight field development engineers to easily plan future ROV operations interventions and avoid the costs of a permanently stationed support vessel and heavy deepwater ROV umbilicals. The Swimmer is a resident subsea system capable of staying up to 3 months submerged, even in deep waters.

It is also important to note that not only subsea service providers but also more and more foreign subsea equipment manufacturers also appear to be negotiating partnership with Brazilian companies or even opening their own subsidiary company in Brazil, as the supply logistics from vital subsea equipment is one of the main concerns regarding equipment supply for the pre-salt.

Claudio Paschoa