Middle East's First Remotely Operated Subsea Inspection with Uncrewed Surface Vessel Completed

Dutch offshore survey services firm Fugro said Monday it had completed the Middle East’s first remotely operated subsea inspection using an uncrewed surface vessel (USV)

The site survey and inspection of an offshore gas platform in UAE waters was executed entirely from an onshore remote operations center (ROC) in Dubai using Fugro’s Blue Essence technology without sending personnel offshore.

"Having commissioned the region’s first-ever government-licensed USV in early 2023, Fugro has successfully completed its first USV operation for a client in the Middle East. The Fugro Pegasus USV (part of the Blue Essence fleet) was mobilized for Chinese operator Atlantis in early June to perform a subsea survey and inspection of the UAQ3 platform within the Umm Al Quwain gas field," Furgo said.

The Fugro Pegasus USV was equipped with a Blue Volta electric remotely operated vehicle (eROV), which was used to inspect the integrity of the platform’s structure and generate a detailed map of the surrounding seabed. 

"The data collected was streamed to the ROC, allowing Atlantis to review the data in real time during the operation. This enabled the team to quickly identify and investigate areas of further interest to develop a comprehensive risk assessment for the client’s upcoming decommissioning program," Fugro said.