Petrobras Partners with Fugro for Pioneering Remote ROV Survey

Dutch offshore survey firm Fugro and Brazil's national oil company Petrobras have completed what they say is Brazil's first-ever remote subsea inspection survey.

Fugro said that the technology trial was carried out with the aim of minimizing risk and improving sustainability during inspection, repair and maintenance (IRM) projects.

Fugro used a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) deployed from the Fugro Aquarius vessel to conduct the survey.

Office-based personnel piloted the ROV from an operations center in Aberdeen, Scotland, instead of from the vessel itself. 

"The approach was informed by Fugro’s remote ROV piloting experience in other parts of the world and was accomplished using a high-speed datalink provided by Petrobras," Fugro said.

For future projects, remote ROV piloting may help Petrobras limit the number of crew deployed to the field, resulting in safer operations with a reduced carbon footprint, the company added.

"This landmark project represents a significant achievement in our ongoing work with Petrobras to support safer and more sustainable offshore energy production in Brazil," said John Chatten, Business Development Manager for Fugro's marine operations in Brazil.

 "As the country’s foremost provider of ROV services, we look forward to implementing this approach on future surveys and to bringing additional remote and autonomous innovations to the region."